Apple of Her Eye
by Kratos Wilder
Summary: He didn't realize how desperately he wanted to be the center of her attention, until she became obsessed with something else.
1. Chapter 1

**::A/N:: **Holy crap. I haven't been on here in ages. I could barely manage my way around!

Anyway, I was in a severe writing mood, so for the past week I have been fighting over ideas for a story. And alas...I picked a multi-chapter one, again. Good news is that I have several chapters already written in advance!

I got this idea from watching episode 284 of shippuden, where Tenten is team captain of a mission to gather weapons. And I noticed small things that Neji would do that made me want to write about what was going through his head in a lot of situations dealing with her, from the chuunin exams til the beginning of shippuden. This chapter is more to begin everything, and in case you haven't seen the Tsunade-Idol episode, this is where most of it came from. I may be reading way too into it, but until the author tells me otherwise, I'm going to believe he cares about her more than just a friend.

But this chapter was a pain to write. I've proofread the thing a thousand times, so I am hoping it's worth the effort I put in to it. It wasn't my favorite chapter, but it got me going, so I found it a necessary starting point. And now I am done rambling. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't be majoring in Biochemistry.

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter One_

"I want to be like the legendary Sannin, Tsunade-sama!"

Neji didn't think anything of his female companion's loud proclamation at the time. Well, he actually did think along the lines of, _good luck. Fate brought you up in two different times. You will never be like that._ He kept these thoughts to himself, more so to keep his other teammate from saying anything stupid like he had done earlier. Why was he on a team with hopeless dreamers again?

Oh. Right. Fate.

"Tsunade is legendary for her super-human strength. If you want to be like her, you must have the determination to undergo a rigorous training regimen!"

Neji also wasn't a fan of their sensei. Aside from his looks and his crazy antics of youth, he was actually trying to convince them that as long as they were determined and had the passion, anything was possible. No, they needed to be told when they could not succeed and not waste time chasing a dream that was impossible to obtain.

At the sound of a hard training routine, the other boy, Lee, squealed with delight. Neji sighed. No amount of time or determination would ever be enough for him to surpass someone like himself, a genius, someone who was born with the talent. Someone like Lee should never have been allowed to even graduate.

But, he found himself taking part in the ridiculous exercise of running laps around Konoha. He quickly grew annoyed at the constant shouting of phrases of "youth" and other motivational mantras. He decided to conserve his anger for a physical spar with one of them and focused on the beating of his heart instead. After a few minutes, he had nearly drowned them out.

It was around lap 72 (he was impressed he knew that) that he noticed the shouts had become more strenuous from his female companion. He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt that she wasn't at her limit, that she had realized exactly how childish their actions were, and was growing tired of complying with them. However, by the next lap, she began to fall behind. His sensei and his duplicate had failed to notice and continued their pace, yelling about "sunsets" and "youth" and other words Neji tuned out.

He didn't know if he should slow down to keep up with her or keep pushing along. Sure, he was getting tired quickly, but he wasn't nearly in the shape as (he could not for the life of him remember her name) she was. She didn't have the endurance he did; that was currently obvious, but he had already known when they had their first team meeting. He was the best. End of story. So why should he allow himself to stoop to her level when he could have been running next to Gai and Lee? The only reason he wasn't ahead of them was due to their level of insanity and the fact he couldn't outrun them. So, he had stayed at a comfortable distance behind them.

In the end, he decided to slow his pace, only a little, using it as in excuse to conserve his energy so when she gave out, he could still go on. He also wanted to take this chance to tell her that her little fantasy of becoming just like Tsunade was impossible, especially since Gai was no longer around to convince her otherwise. That fate had predetermined that fact long before she even knew who the legendary woman was. He felt slight pity for her; he knew all too well what it meant to want to reach for something that was never meant to be.

After one more lap, she finally came to a halt, stopping to rest her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Lee and Gai were long gone; there were no more words of…whatever they were saying. A part of him wanted to carry on and leave her behind. If she wasn't strong enough to overcome this incredibly difficult and silly routine, then she would never be strong. Ever.

After a few seconds of debate, he came to a stop as well. He turned to the girl doubled over behind him and decided she should know the truth.

"You're never going to be as strong as Tsunade-sama."

Her reaction surprised him. He was expecting her to retaliate with some retort, call him stupid, say something hateful, or blatantly admit he was right. She slowly straightened her back once her breathing became steady and looked him directly in the eye. She didn't seem angry or upset at all, but as she walked closer to him, he could make out the faintest hint of disappointment.

"Isn't there a reason you want to become stronger?"

And before he had a chance to answer, she walked past him, did a few stretches, and took off after the other half of their team.

-0-

"_YOSH! _It's time for one-on-one spars! Neji, you will fight Tenten first!"

_Tenten! That was her name,_ he thought, feeling somewhat embarrassed at forgetting something as simple as her name. He took his stance across from her, his left hand up in usual fashion, left foot in front of the right, positioned to attack or defend, and to counter when she attacked. She appeared to be sizing him up, her eyes looking for an opening in his defenses. Too bad she was looking in vain. He wondered exactly how much she knew about his fighting style. Everyone knew about the Byakugan and its abilities, but beyond that, he would have to find out.

She made the decision to strike first. He quickly and effortlessly dodged her punch, and in one swift motion, spun on his heel and knocked her feet from under her. He was actually somewhat impressed when instead of falling, she used her momentum to flip agilely back on her feet. She didn't seem like his attack fazed her at all. _Good._ She charged at him again, attacking with more calculated and precise punches. He was still quick enough to dodge them, and he even jumped over _her_ attempt to knock him down.

She was growing frustrated, which seemed to amuse him. She came at him for the third time, and as she attempted to land a hit on his shoulder, he bent back to avoid the attack, grabbed her around the waist, and literally chucked her over his shoulder. He hoped he hadn't hurt her; the move had been much easier than he thought it would have been and he probably used too much strength.

"Alright, Lee! You're up!"

Before he could even turn to ask if she was alright, Lee began his barrage of punches and kicks. His aim was worse than Tenten's, and she was at least quiet. While he continued to dodge Lee's sloppy onslaught, he caught Tenten walk and sit down beside their observing sensei. She must have been fine, or she didn't show it. Either way worked for Neji.

That put his mind back on the annoying opponent in front of him. He easily sidestepped a kick and blocked a punch that followed. He countered with a palm to his chest. He didn't use too much chakra; just enough for Lee to stay down and Gai to recognize Neji as the true genius of the team.

Just as Gai was about to speak, Tenten interrupted. "Can you teach me medical ninjutsu?"

Neji could not believe his ears. Why couldn't she let this Tsunade idol thing go? It wasn't going to happen. It wasn't meant to. It was fate. Even their sensei seemed hesitant! Shouldn't that have been a sign for her to stop?

"Can you teach me, too, Sensei?!"

Now Lee wanted to learn?! It seemed like this was an argument neither him nor his sensei would work their way out of. The look in Tenten and Lee's eyes were ones of determination. He sighed.

His team truly was a hopeless bunch.

-0-

When Tenten arrived at their meeting spot the next morning holding a small bag and wearing a serious expression on her face, Neji's curiosity spiked. Did she actually manage to learn such a high-level jutsu overnight? There was no way. Had she been asked to come back for more training? Did she leave that much of an impression? She didn't strike him as a medical expert. Then again, he didn't really know that much about her at all.

She took her seat in between the two boys and dropped the bag on the table in front of them. "I couldn't do it."

_Of course not_, he thought, his shoulders relaxing in response. Could she really have thought otherwise? Lee anxiously reached for the bag and pulled out a medium-sized fish, no doubt the poor experimental victim.

Gai smiled at her. "Not everyone can be an expert in the medical field, Tenten. A kunoichi can still become legendary without those skills!"

Neji shook his head. He was, in a sense, correct on that assumption. But how could one _become_ legendary without being _destined_, without being _born_ with the talent to become legendary? Just as he had been born a branch member, Tenten had been born, for lack of better terminology, _un_-legendary. There was no way around that.

"Ooh, let's eat him for lunch!" Lee shouted, and Gai reluctantly agreed. Let the poor fish go to waste being useful, or…something like that.

Gai and Lee jumped right in as soon as their sensei had finished preparing their lunch. Tenten did not seem interest in eating, either due to her humiliation of her own failure or the fact that she couldn't eat something she had taken life from. Or maybe she didn't like seafood. Or she simply wasn't hungry. Neji thought the flavor was bland, but it was food, and he was not picky. And he was hungry.

The group ate in comfortable silence for a little over a minute before Tenten brought up Tsunade again. "Isn't there anything else legendary about Tsunade-sama?"

Neji was growing agitated quickly. She needed to be told that this dream of hers was impossible, and she needed to be told now before she wasted her life chasing it. How hard was it to see that she could never be like Tsunade? He took a deep breath to calm himself. This was not his problem. He refused to become a part of it. He reached for another slice of fish, attempting to ignore the conversation around him.

"Well, she also has the ability to use the summoning jutsu, and she can summon a large slug that—"

Neji nearly gagged as the image of a large slug came to his mind and replaced the fish that came toward his mouth. He immediately placed his chopsticks and the piece of untouched fish, now pictured as a slug, back on the plate. He also made a mental note to himself to never eat around Gai. Ever.

A few seconds later, the table was cleared and Gai replaced the dish with a scroll. "Now," he continued as he unrolled the parchment. "Let's see if you can use the technique."

Neji watched as Tenten stiffened suddenly, knowing that all eyes were on her at the moment. She swallowed her nervousness and steeled herself, then began to make the proper hand signs. She placed her hand on the center character and a puff of smoke caused the three of them to draw closer to the table. She lifted her hand to reveal half of a small sai dagger. Lee's eyes and mouth were wide with shock, and Tenten bristled with excitement. Neji was even slightly impressed.

"It seems you can do it!" Gai exclaimed proudly. "Now all you have to do is enter into a contract with an animal." Neji watched as Gai bit his thumb and created a number of hand signs before slamming his palm onto the concrete floor. A similar puff of smoke followed, and when it cleared, a large tortoise was staring at them. He would have been just as shocked as Lee had been, but this was Gai…and a turtle. He found more excitement in Tenten's newfound ability to summon weapons.

Tenten seemed to think the same. "It's a…turtle?"

The red reptile sneered at her. "What else did you expect?"

"Oh, I don't know," she replied, drawing a hand to her chin in thought. "I just thought you would be, you know, legendary."

Neji almost broke out into a chuckle when turtle angrily shouted at her, telling her he refused to enter into a contract with her. How could a turtle be angry, or jealous for that matter? Well, he was on Team Gai. Nothing should surprise him now.

Then Tenten made a face as the animal vanished in a cloud of smoke, and Neji retracted his previous statement. It seemed he really was surrounded by immature children.

At least Gai reprimanded her for it. "Do not be selfish, Tenten." She straightened up, but that only brought back to her mind the unresolved issue of the legendary slug, and of Tsunade.

"There's nothing else legendary about her?"

Gai sighed, much to Neji's surprise, and fell into silence, deep in thought. "Well," he started, "She is notorious for her drinking and gambling." Realizing what he had said, he laughed. "But you are far too young for that!"

But there was something about the look in her eyes as they parted ways that told Neji she was not about to give up until she tried.

-0-

Lee and Gai were late to their meeting place the next morning. For the first time, Neji actually wanted them to be present. Without them, he had nothing else to think about besides what the crazed Tsunade worshipper had done the night before. He wanted to ask if she went through with attempting to go to a bar or a gambling house, but he was not one to pry. Besides, he really didn't want to know. If she did, she obviously didn't succeed because of her age. If she didn't, well, he knew it would spark the topic of Tsunade. And it was too early in the day for him to listen to her ideology.

"Lee and Gai are late."

He didn't address the issue as a form of conversation, but more as a matter of fact to himself. However, he was surprised when she didn't answer, or even seem to have realized he had spoken. He couldn't grasp the idea of why it bothered him, but it did. Maybe she didn't feel like talking. Maybe she had tried and failed, just like everything else she had done previous to this last escapade. Maybe she really didn't hear him.

Curiosity got the best of him. "Why would they be late this early into our formation of a team?"

Again, his question was met with silence. Surely she had heard him the second time. He turned his head to get a better look at her and noticed she seemed more tense than usual. Maybe something had happened to her?

"Are you alright?" He usually didn't meddle in business that wasn't his own, hated it actually, so he really had no clue why he was asking about her well-being. He reasoned with himself that since they were on the same team, the dynamics would have been thrown into chaos if one of their two sane members was unfocused.

It took her a few seconds to register he had asked her a direct question. "Oh," she stuttered. "Sorry. Yeah, I'm fine."

It wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. "You do not look well."

She looked puzzled, and frankly, Neji felt that way as well. But, she was a teammate, the other possible sane one. He needed all the help he could get to fight off Gai and Lee's insanity.

Finally, she let out a nervous chuckle. "I had a long night last night."

He knew what was coming. The inevitable: Tsunade. Of how all she wanted was to be like her. He immediately regretted trying to get her to talk. He should have stayed quiet.

But before she brought up the events of her evening, he took this chance to once again inform her of her fate. "You can never be like Tsunade."

His comment was met with silence. He hadn't meant it to come out so cold, but it was true. And it was high time someone told her that. "You were not born with the first Hokage's blood like Tsunade. Because of that, you will not possess her strength. You were not born with the talent for medical ninjutsu. Fate has made it this way, and that cannot be overcome. You cannot become legendary unless you are born with that level of talent."

He had finally said what he had wanted to tell her from the start. And he had to admit, as harsh it had sounded even to his own ears, he felt relieved to say it. He didn't intend to hurt her feelings or make her feel worthless, but she needed to realize this dream she was chasing was a waste of her time. Where would that leave her in the end when she finally _did_ realize that?

"You may be right."

Neji was surprised to hear her speak so quickly and almost missed what she said. Again, she didn't sound upset, or angry, or hurt, which confused him to no end. Most people would have snapped at him, but she did not. And he wondered why.

But she continued. "But how are we going to get stronger by saying things like that? I may never be as strong as Tsunade, or as gifted as her, but I will do everything I can to reach that goal, even if I can't make it. She might have had the natural talent, but she still had to work hard to get better. If she can make the effort to be the best, then why can't I?"

Simple. "It has already been decided. Lee will be a failure. You will not be Tsunade. I will be a genius. Those facts will never change."

"Nothing in life is guaranteed or certain. If you are a self-proclaimed genius, how can you not see that?"

He could not believe she was arguing with him. She really thought he was wrong! How could she not understand how destiny worked when she was already cursed by it?

"Look," she said, causing his attention to focus back on her. "Life is simply unpredictable. If you live your life solely on the fact that life has been decided for you, then what's the point of living, of becoming stronger?"

If he was not Neji Hyuuga, his jaw would have dropped to the floor at the girl in front of him. But since he was Neji Hyuuga, he simply scowled at her. Was she really so simple minded and thought that life was that easy? She knew nothing about what it meant to be chained to a destiny she could not control. She knew nothing about how it felt to have her life ripped to shreds because she was not born into the proper family. She knew _nothing_ about fate!

"You know nothing."

He apparently came off colder than he had intended because she took his words as a slap to the face. She quickly averted her eyes and uttered a quiet apology. He sat down, folded his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes. He wisely decided to keep his mouth shut, hoping she would do the same, as to not create any more tension between them. She knew nothing, but at least now she seemed to understand that, and she didn't press it further.

Even though they were quiet, he could tell she wanted to say something. He could hear her fiddling with something in her hands, a typical nervous gesture. A few minutes passed and she finally broke the tension. "Well, I might not know how it feels to be in your position, but if you ever want to become strong enough to break free, I'd be happy to help how I can."

It was a nice gesture to get on good terms with him, he assumed. It wasn't necessary though. He didn't need her help. One could not become strong enough to escape destiny. However, he thought a little more about her invitation, and decided it would greatly benefit him if he did not have to be around Lee and Gai constantly. He knew they met and trained quite a bit as a team, but he also wasn't stupid enough to miss the fact that Gai had personally taken Lee under his wing. That left the two of them with quite a bit of free time. So, he decided it would do more good than harm to accept her request.

He answered with his soon-to-be trademark 'hn' and the two of them remained silent until their obnoxious teammates showed up.

-0-

They had been deployed on a simple mission, one that Neji had insisted be given to someone else. Silently, of course. But out of respect, he obliged and his team had set out.

Everything was going well. They were waiting for the group of enemy-nin to appear. Gai informed them that a small band of rouge ninja had been causing disturbances, and one of their known abilities was some sort of body transfer jutsu, a technique that could have been disastrous if used on them. Neji found this humorous; finding the time to utilize it and having the precision to jump into someone else's body took extreme talent and experience. If this jutsu had been that big of a threat, a Genin squad would _not_ have been sent to exterminate them.

They were huddled behind the shrubbery of the forest floor, well hidden from prying eyes. Neji confirmed encroaching enemies with his Byakugan, and deactivated it quickly to avoid them reading his chakra signature. Gai peered out past the brush to watch as the enemies perched themselves on the trees around them.

"Everyone ready?"

And before anyone could reply, Lee went into a hysterical fit. The three of them quickly turned to their teammate. He stood up quickly, and Neji knew that he had fallen victim to the enemy's technique. His eyes were bloodshot and he was salivating like a dog with rabies, screaming incoherent words as he leaned in to attack.

The enemy quickly took advantage of the situation. Neji and Tenten fought off the enemies attacking from the trees, and Gai attempted to knock Lee out, telling Neji to find the perpetrator, and quickly. Most of the ninja were no match for the combined efforts of Tenten and himself, and before long Gai had subdued Lee, and he had found the ninja who invaded Lee's body. Gai swiftly grabbed some rope from his pack and proceeded to tie Lee's arms and legs up for safety, just in case the enemy's jutsu had any lingering side-effects.

The sun was falling from the sky, so they decided to set up camp for the night. As easy as the fight had been, Neji could not hide his discomfort in what had happened. Lee had been taken over by a simple jutsu, one that had probably been used only once before. The ninja they fought off had been amateurs at best. How could he feel at ease when his teammate was an easy catch like he had been, especially on a simple mission as the one they had just completed? What would happen when they were up against _real_ enemy ninja with perfected techniques?

"That could have gone worse," Tenten said, poking at the fire with a stick. But she was wrong. It couldn't have _gone_ worse, it _had_ gone worse. It shouldn't have happened at all. Had Lee not been as weak as he was, he wouldn't have fallen into the enemy's trap.

"I feel uneasy with someone like him on my team. His lack of genjutsu and ninjutsu made him an easy target. Had he been strong enough to avoid being caught, they would have posed no problem at all."

His words were met with silence. Tenten dropped her stick into the flame, a look of shame etched on her face. She glanced over at where Lee had been placed and frowned. She had every right to be disappointed, but after a closer look at her expression, he realized that she actually felt _bad_ for Lee.

But if she was going to defend him, she wisely kept her comments to herself.

-0-

"I will beat you this time, Neji! And I will prove to you that effort can overpower a genius!"

Neji smirked as Lee charged him. He had heard that proclamation so many times in the past month that he could hear it in his dreams. But it didn't change a thing. He had been born with the talent that Lee lacked. And no amount of hard work and effort was going to make up that difference.

After all, it was fate.

And Lee was predictable. He would attack with an onslaught of punches, and every so often, a few kicks. He never once landed a single one. He came close a few times, but only because Neji had a mental lapse for that split second. He did find an advantage to their sparring matches though. He was able to read body movements much more quickly and more precise to predict when and how the next attack would be made.

He avoided another kick. And another punch. It was all Lee really had going for him. He had no special ninjutsu or genjutsu he could use on him, which made him wonder why he fought a losing battle. Neji was a genius at hand-to-hand combat, thanks to his kekkai genkai. He assumed Lee knew that, so he didn't understand why he was so determined to defeat him if he knew Neji held the upper hand every time.

He quickly grew tired of the fight, so he caught Lee's punch and slammed his palm into his chest, knocking him to the ground. He coughed to reclaim lost air in his lungs, and just as he struggled to get to his feet, Tenten rushed to his side and kneeled next to him.

"Lee, when will you learn? You can't beat Neji. You're not like…" She stopped when she realized what she was saying. He wondered why; what she said was the truth. He couldn't beat him. It wasn't possible. He was destined to beat Lee. Every single time.

Lee, however, seemed to have taken her words to heart. Had Neji said what she did, Lee would have attacked out of rage. Since Tenten was the one who spoke them, he saw the truth behind them. But Lee shook his head regardless. He still seemed determined to prove his point.

"I will defeat you one day, Neji. That's a promise."

With that, he quickly stood, turned his back on his team, and walked away. Neji could hear the anger in his voice when he spoke, and could feel it when he glared at him. For that split second, he had been completely caught off guard. It was like that enemy from their previous mission had possessed his body for that short amount of time before he regained control and stormed off.

"Lee, wait!" Tenten called out to him, but he was already gone. She lowered her head in regret, and Neji took the opportunity to address her previous statement.

"You were correct. Lee will never be able to defeat me."

She sighed, her eyes still fixed on the ground. "You're stronger than he is, but you don't work nearly as hard as he does."

"That's not enough. I was born with the talent. He was born with nothing. He will always be nothing. No amount of hard work can change that."

"You might not see him as anything, Neji," she stated, fiddling with the blades of grass from where she sat. "But Lee is my friend. And he has worked so hard to make something of himself. That effort alone has to make him something, even in your eyes."

Oh, how wrong she was. "No," he declared. "He will always be a failure."

"Well…then," she started nervously, plucking some of the grass out of the ground. "Then…do you think that way about me, too?"

His mouth acted as if he was going to respond, but he had nothing to say. Of course he hadn't thought the same way about her. She was sane, unlike Lee was. But more importantly then that, she knew her limits. She hadn't pranced around in her Tsunade-haze in weeks now. Because she knew it wasn't worth her time anymore. She had channeled her energy in becoming a better weapons specialist. Lee had not changed. He still spent all his time trying to beat him.

"I wasn't born with any kind of special gift or talent like you were. So in a bunch of ways, Lee and I are a lot alike."

"You don't spend all of your time trying to defeat me."

She chuckled and leaned back, her gaze now on the clouds above her. "I do, though. Every time we spar, Neji."

Again, he was at a loss of words. Thankfully, she exhaled and spared him the time to come up with a response. "I know you're a tough challenger, and I know I may never be able to best you in battle. But that doesn't mean I will give up on trying to become stronger." She slowly got to her feet, and Neji was about to reply when she beat him to it.

"Not even after I do manage to defeat you."

-0-

If there was ever a moment in Neji's life where he wished he could disappear, this would be that time.

He followed his team at a safe distance while the crowds increased around them. Gai was currently walking on his hands; Lee at his side in that stupid green spandex Gai had attempted to convince _him_ to wear. Tenten was perched on top of Gai's feet, and in a small way, Neji felt worse for her. He could at least act like he was not part of this fiasco, but she was at the center of it.

And she made her embarrassment known. "Gai-Sensei? Do you really have to do this? Everyone is laughing at us."

Neji sighed. The mere sight of the two "Green Beasts," as they were now known to be called, were enough to open eyes as they frolicked around the streets of Konoha. How could she expect people just to pass like this was normal?

"Nonsense! This was my rule! Since you defeated me in combat, I have to carry you around Konoha 500 times!" He seemed quite pleased, like Neji and Tenten were proud to be part of this humiliation. Gai never ceased to amaze him.

"But…this is a little…much." Neji at least found comfort in the fact that she had to have been ten times more mortified that he was. Her face was nearly the same shade of pink as her shirt, and she kept looking at the ground, hoping it would swallow her up. Or so he thought. He couldn't blame her.

"Do not worry, Tenten! If I had won, my punishment for failing to train you properly was to hoist Neji up and walk around Konoha 800 times!"

Neji stopped dead in his tracks. Did that crazy man really believe he could drag him around Konoha in the same fashion he was carrying Tenten? There was no way in hell that would have been possible. There would have been a war. And he would not have lost.

He walked much slower after that, afraid that Gai would turn around and catch him off guard and before he would know what was happening, _he_ would be the source of pointing fingers and laughter.

"Regardless, you were amazing, Tenten!" Lee exclaimed. "Even with Gai-Sensei's handicap, you were still able to defeat him! You truly are a master with weapons!"

It was then that her face lit up, despite her current situation, and Neji realized she was truly happy. Even though it was Lee who offered the compliment, he couldn't help but notice he was telling the truth.

He took pride in the fact that he had, in a small way, helped her achieve her current standing amongst their team. Yes, Gai had given her the opportunity and knowledge she needed to get started, but he was the one who was there to help her make use of it.

They didn't train together a lot, maybe twice a week after their daily team meetings. She usually would be the one to ask him to spare a few minutes so she could test out her newest technique. He remembered the first time she had asked, he politely declined, but that didn't stop her from training. As he recalled, she had simply shrugged her shoulders, murmured something like, "Maybe next time," and proceeded to train alone.

And there was something about that that bothered him. He hadn't thought too much about it before, but over the course of months training and completing missions, he had begun to favor her over the green-clad morons. Not only did she share similar feelings about the other half of their team, her determination to prove to him that his fate could be overcome caused her to be a decent challenge for him in a spar. Lee was clumsy, but getting stronger through his training with Gai, but he was still no match for his unique fighting style. Tenten, on the other hand, had proven to be better at long-range attacks, which had led Neji to perfect his defenses.

After he turned her down the first time, she usually walked away without asking him to train. He refused to seem like a beggar and in need of her assistance, but in a sense, he was slowly becoming dependent on the girl he knew nothing about. He knew he had to have been drawn to her sense of independence and iron will, so in a way, she really wasn't that much different than he was.

One day, he had asked her to train with him. She had been surprised, but she did not turn him down. In fact, she had been very happy with his request. Something about him finally opening up to someone…or something like that. He wasn't opening up to her; she still didn't know a thing about him, but he had wanted to prove to his family the wrongs of their actions. And training would not only help him hone his skills, but also have the means in which to alleviate his frustration.

Over the course of a few weeks, it had become a routine. The team would meet first thing in the morning (as soon as Lee and Gai came back from their early morning training) then work on fundamentals and suffer through Gai's ridiculous regimen for the day. By noon, when the team would go their separate ways, well, Gai and Lee would leave them behind, they had continued where they had left off the day before.

So yes, he had helped to shape her into the expert she was now, and he was happy for her. The Tsunade dream was finally coming to an end, and she was now chasing a dream that was well within her reach.

* * *

A few comments: Some terminology could be wrong, so if you caught something that I did not say or use correctly, please let me know. My big one I think I butchered was the sai dagger. I googled it, and googled it again, so I think I'm right, but I'm not an expert. But I needed a name, and it seemed legit. I also feel I jumped around in tenses a bit more than I should have. Advice is always welcomed.

Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**::A/N::** This chapter was kind of an oddball, but I couldn't pass it up. It fell in the timeline of the story and I couldn't skip the events that it covered. I struggled with this one for days, so I'm hoping this can pass a a decent part, because I absolutely loved the next two chapters.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be rolling in lots of money and not rolling in lots of debt.

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Two_

"The next fight will be between Tenten and Temari."

Neji was devastated. There was no way she was going to win this fight. Although he knew very little about her opponent, he knew she was from Sunagakure, part of Wind Country, and carried a fan on her back. She was a wind jutsu specialist. On top of that, she seemed older than any participant, leading him to believe she had more fighting experience. And if the fight with that weird puppet controlling teammate of hers had meant anything to him, it was that they were all ruthless.

"Alright! Time to see if all this training has paid off!"

He wanted to stop her, to tell her there was no chance for victory. He knew her skills were impressive, and had her opponent been anyone else but this Temari person, and himself of course, she could have had a possibility to win. But her long-distance fighting style did not top that of a wind user. It could never be done.

"YOSH!" Lee exclaimed loudly next to him, causing him to wince from the noise. "Our youthful flower will no doubt win this match!"

"And you would be correct, Lee!" Gai added. "Go out there and give your all in the name of youth!"

He saw her turn away, embarrassed as they continued to cheer for her. Why were they doing this to her? They were filling her with false hope, making her believe that she could win. Did they not understand how upset she was going to be when she lost? All because she went into an already decided battle thinking she could win?

"Wish me luck." She directed her statement at him, and he didn't know what to do. Had she been Lee, he wouldn't have cared. But he couldn't allow someone he considered a friend to waltz into a hopeless situation. But he also did not have the heart to tell her that.

So he did the next best thing he could think of. "Be careful."

Unfortunately for him, she had already jumped over the railing into the center of the floor. She probably wouldn't have heard him anyway over the obnoxious cheering from the Green Beasts. He folded his arms across his chest, more so to keep himself from strangling Lee and Gai for being overly loud and distracting. But he allowed them to continue, hoping that it would be all she needed to overcome the unbelievable odds she currently faced.

As the battle began, he silently prayed to whatever watched over them, that fate be allowed to be changed just this once.

-0-

Tenten was losing, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The wind user had her caught in an enormous whirlwind, blades of wind slicing at her flesh. Neji wanted to jump in and help her, but what would that have done? The fight was over, even though the winner had been declared the minute their names appeared on the screen. She gave her all. She fought to the best of her abilities. That was all he really could have asked from her.

The minutes seemed like hours to him as he stood helpless to his teammate's plight. Finally, the older girl released her jutsu, and Neji watched, powerless, as Tenten's defeated form fell from the sky. He desperately hoped she would wake up, that she would catch herself before she hit the floor. He gripped the railing harder and considered again jumping to grab her when Temari held out her fan and impaled her.

A vein popped in his head, and Neji lost control of his emotions. How _dare_ this woman defile his teammate like that?! She had already won the fight, so what was the point in her actions? He knew this Sand team was as merciless as they would come, but this…._this_ took it to a whole other level. Oh…when he got his hands on that girl, he would make her regret hurting Tenten like that.

He was so blinded by rage that he hadn't even notice Lee's tense form beside him. Lee muttered something Neji couldn't make out, but it caused him to force himself out of his enraged state as he tried to gain control of his anger. Thankfully, he did nothing to attract attention to himself. The last thing he wanted was for one of these rookies to ask him what the hell was wrong.

Lee suddenly made a move next to him. He watched as his teammate quickly leaped over the railing and caught Tenten before her unconscious body landed on top of her scattered weapons.

And the anger erupted in him again. This time, it was more directed at himself than at Temari. He had been so engrossed in his fury that he hadn't even noticed Temari toss Tenten until Lee had made the move to catch her. It shouldn't have been Lee. It should have been him! Lee wasn't the one who spent hours upon hours training with her! Lee wasn't the one who was there for her every step of the way! All Lee managed to do was get her involved in this mess! _He_ was the reason all of this was happening because he tried to convince her she stood a chance! No, Neji should have been the one to jump to his teammates rescue. Not Lee.

"Beat it. And take that sack of garbage with you."

Before Neji could even speak, Lee had charged at Temari, a move he had not seen Lee do before. Lee was usually an emotionally stable person…when it came to his anger. He grew frustrated in battles he was losing, but he never lost composure easily over an opponent's comments. Regardless of how pissed off Lee had been, this chick was not his to deal with.  
She was Neji's.

"No, Lee!" he shouted, but it fell on deaf ears. Lee attempted his signature _Konoha Senpuu_, but Temari used her fan to block his kick. Good. It looked like Neji was going to have to settle this dispute, seeing that Lee wasn't able to do so.

But before Neji could make a move, Gai put a hand on his shoulder. "Let me take care of this."

And that's exactly what he did. Except he didn't take care of the sand girl. Instead, whatever his sensei and teammate were talking about seemed to make more enemies between them. The red-head boy was now glaring at the dynamic duo, but Neji didn't care. Temari was still on her feet. He should have told Gai he would take care of it. There might have been a brawl between his team and the Sand squad, but it appeared his team was ready for it.

It all would have been worth it anyway.

-0-

Neji had thought he wanted to kill the Sand team before. Now, he wanted to kill them, bring them back to life with some kind of unlawful kinjutsu, and kill them again.

Tenten had lost to Temari. Lee had lost to Gaara. But it was more than that. As impressed as he was at both of their abilities (more so Lee, because he actually thought if he was the one fighting him, he would have lost), fate had already decided the victor long before either of them entered their match.

It wasn't affecting his fate directly; his fate had actually been kind to him and allowed him the chance to fight Hinata, as non-challenging as that had been. But at the same time, he still couldn't help but feel as though he had been screwed over as well. Well, he had been; both possible training partners now lie in hospital beds, and he was convinced that Lee would never fight again. He felt remorse for Lee. He hadn't wanted it to end like this, especially not after the fight he had witnessed.

He walked down the quiet hospital halls, deciding he should stop and pay his teammates a visit. One of the nurses recognized him as a member of Gai's team and proceeded to tell him that Lee would not be allowed to have visitors for a while in his current condition.

"He's lucky to be alive," she said quietly. "That sand ninja really did a number on him. If Gai wouldn't have interfered, he could have been killed."

He wanted to tell her that it probably would have been for the best if Gaara had killed Lee, because he was sure when he woke up and realized his predicament, he would have wanted that. But he kept that to himself, and forced it from his mind. He may not have liked Lee's company or presence, but he was part of his life. He didn't want to lose another person due to an inevitable fate.

"I'm actually here to see my other teammate, Tenten." The nurse paused for a second, then she walked behind her desk to flip through a stack of papers. When she found what she was looking for, she pointed down the hallway.

"She's down the hall, second to last door on your right." When she didn't say anything else, Neji nodded and continued on. But before he could move a few feet, the nurse stopped him again. "Just, be careful. We believe she might be suffering from paraplegia. We are currently awaiting results from her tests, but she hasn't been able to move her legs and has told us that she cannot feel anything from her waist down. It could just be temporary, but we won't know for sure until the tests come back."

He stared at the nurse, waiting for her to look down at the paper and realize her mistake, that she had accidently looked at the wrong patient's file. It terrified him. Lee may never fight again, and now, if the nurse was right, Tenten may never _walk_ again!

He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. So, he turned his back on the nurse and stormed down the hall, glancing into every room along the way, hoping that he would find Tenten sitting up and smiling in one of them. But as he continued down the hall, he began to panic. What if the nurse was right? What if Tenten really _was_ paralyzed?

He cursed himself for it. He should have convinced her the first time they ever discussed fate that he was right. He should have stopped her from entering the her fight against Temari. He should have told Gai and Lee to stop cheering for her because she was doomed to fail. Maybe then he could have saved her. And possibly Lee.

He reached the room the nurse had told him and hoped that if she really was inside, that she would at least be doing some stupid exercise, _anything_ but laying limp in the bed. He took a minute to calm his pounding heart before continuing on. He peered inside the room, and sure enough, she was lying on the bed, her gaze focused out the window, the constant _beep_ of her heart monitor the only noise in the room.

He knocked on the door quietly, so as not to frighten her in her state. She still jumped a little at the noise, quickly turning her head towards him. After she realized it was just him, he noticed a small smile creep up on her face.

"Hi, Neji."

She didn't seem as upset as he had thought she would have been. It had only been hours since the preliminary rounds were finished. He had hoped she would have taken her defeat as a lesson learned, but he didn't think she would actually get over it so quickly. It was either that or she was doing a damn good job hiding her shame.

He didn't respond to her greeting as he sat himself down on the chair by her bed. He wanted to ask if she was alright, but he didn't know how she would react to his question. The nurse's diagnosis rang clear in his mind. She probably didn't want to be reminded of her situation, or of her disappointing loss to Temari.

"I'm assuming you won your match, right?"

Another topic he wanted to avoid. Yes, he had defeated Hinata, but the mention of the fight was stirring up emotions he'd rather not deal with. But she was asking a sincere question. He didn't need to be rude about it.

"I did, yes."

Her smiled widened. "Great! And Lee?"

The room suddenly felt small, and the temperature warmer. He had expected that somewhere along the way she would have heard about Lee, because he didn't know if he had the heart to tell her himself.

But the longer he remained silent, the more questions he would have to answer. He would keep it simple. "No. He fought well, but he did not win."

Her smile faded and she broke eye contact with him. "Oh. Who did he fight? You?"

He was tempted to say yes, but thought better of it. Once she did find out about Lee's condition, there would have been hell to pay. "He fought Gaara, the other ninja from the Sand."

He sensed what was left of her positive demeanor slip away. The mention of Lee losing to another Sand ninja probably hit harder than he wanted it to. He tried to offer her words of sympathy, but it was something he had never done before. How did you tell a crippled teammate that she fought well, but her injury did not have to occur? That she had been fighting a battle she could never have won? He took a deep breath, then made an attempt to regain her lost optimism.

"You both fought well, but there was nothing that could have been done. You both were destined to fail before your match even began."

It didn't seem to be the encouragement she wanted to hear. He could tell by the way her fists clenched into the bedspread, her eyes narrowed, and the tension became strong enough to strangle him. But she didn't say anything, and he realized that was killing him the most. His logic made sense, didn't it?

Finally, after what felt like hours in suffocating silence, she responded. "You're wrong."

Neji felt more relieved that she had spoken up to kill the tension between them then at her words. But, now that the conversation was going, he pressed on.

"How so?"

She turned and glared at him, the first time he had ever seen her angry with him. "You keep talking about how everything is already plotted out, how we can't change a thing. I had a feeling that she was going to beat me, but I was not going to let that stop me. I did everything in my power to win. And I might have failed, but it was because I was inexperienced; not because I was _destined_ to."

He tried to make sense of her words. She really believed that if she had experience in fighting someone like Temari, she could have won. That if she was given another chance later on, she could have beaten her. But it was not possible. And now she was hurt because of it. Why had she put herself through this only to have lost everything in the end?

"We will show you, Neji," she continued, just as irritated as before. "Lee and I will prove to you that nothing is certain in life. That people who try hard enough are just as strong as those born with a special talent."

"How?" he asked, her tone with him causing his anger to boil. "How can you prove that when both of you could be confined to a hospital bed for the rest of your life?"

And that was when he realized his mistake.

"…What?"

She must not have known about her condition to the extent he did. Or maybe he sounded too confident that she would remain on bed rest for the rest of her life when it could have just been a temporary state. This was why he tried to never lose control over his emotions. People said and did stupid things as a result.

"What do you mean? Lee's hurt? What happened?"

He was surprised at her selflessness; her first thought had been about Lee. He didn't know how to address the situation he now found himself in. He didn't have a confirmation of their teammate's outcome, just that he was not likely doing well. He only wished that it hadn't been an issue at all.

His silence wasn't helping to calm her down. "Neji, what happened to Lee? Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay."

He told her the truth. He told her how Lee had opened _Tomon_,the Fifth Gate, and how even Neji had been left speechless at his strength. How Gaara's sand couldn't keep up with him at that level of speed, and only by a perfectly calculated move on his end, he was able to endure a severe blow from Lee. Then he explained to her how Lee was injured, but he didn't detail the account. It was hard enough for him to have to recall it; he didn't want her to feel the same. He was going to tell her that Lee was likely to never be a ninja again because of it, but before he could say it, she seemed to anticipate his words and stopped him.

"He will be fine." Then she paused, and when she spoke again, she was much quieter. "He has to be."

Even though she said it, the uncertainty in her voice was clear. She was only hoping Lee would be fine. But the truth of the matter was, it was quite possible he was not going to be.

He didn't say anything to comment on that. He wanted to tell her that fate was cruel, but now was not the time to bring up the subject. _He_ understood that fate was to blame, and that was good enough. He didn't offer words of comfort, more so because he didn't really know what to say, and he had failed miserably a few minutes ago. He also didn't believe in creating a false bravado. If it wasn't going to happen, she shouldn't be convinced that it could.

"He'll be fine, Neji. I know he will."

It was then that he noticed the strain in her voice. He knew she cared about Lee; she was actually very strict on Lee, like an older sister. He remembered her making the comment before that the reason she was so hard on him was because she cared about him, and wanted him to be the best. And now, there was a chance Lee would never be able to do so, and he could tell that it was killing her. She even turned her head away in an attempt to hide any emotions from him.

He stood up and quietly made his way to the door. He didn't want to see her struggling like this. She didn't deserve to be humiliated further. And she probably didn't want him to see her as an emotional wreck. He would come back later on that night. Perhaps then she would know more of her condition and maybe he could find out more about Lee's. He turned around to tell her he would be back later, but she only raised her arm to her face, and nodded her reply.

He could only hope that fate would have the mercy to spare them.

-0-

He had lost. To Naruto, of all people. But he was over that. He was over everything. And he could not have felt any lighter than he did at that moment.

"Please, forgive me, Neji."

Hiashi had paid him a visit soon after he had been transported to the medical ward beneath the stadium. At first, he had been expecting a bitter retort from the elder, how he should be ashamed for failing as a Hyuuga. But he had gotten the exact opposite. He never once in his life believed he would have witnessed the scene that had taken place before him, but it resolved everything. Every question, every doubt, had been answered.

"Please, rise Hiashi-sama. You do not need to bow to me," he responded after letting his uncle's words sink in. His father had not died for the family, but for him. He died because he _chose_ to. Not because he was a branch member and had been _forced_ to. He had been wrong this whole time. And he was ashamed for it. His father had made the ultimate sacrifice for his son, for his brother, for his clan, and he had done nothing but disgrace it.

He suddenly felt free. The bonds of his fate were released and the cage was open. And he felt like flying. Hiashi uttered a few words of apology before he took his leave, allowing Neji time to gain an understanding of this new feeling. He had been so blinded by his hatred that he didn't notice anyone else suffering. How had Hiashi felt when his own brother, his own flesh and blood, demanded to be sacrificed in his stead? How had Hinata felt while he pulverized her in front of a silent and disturbed crowd, when she herself had been considered the worthless heir of the head family? And all it took was a simple letter left behind by his father to explain everything.

_I am so sorry, Father. I have failed you._ He had failed his late father, his family, his teammates, his village. But he understood his mistake, and he was determined to give his all to change that.

He heard a light tap on the door, but he didn't answer. He didn't have to. A few seconds later, Tenten poked her head through, then slowly stepped in the room and closed the door behind her.

"How are you feeling?"

He didn't know how to answer her question. He was happy. He was relieved. He was _free_.  
But that's not how she interpreted his silence. "Ah, don't worry, Neji. He only got lucky. I'm sure next time you will be able to—"

"It's fine," he interrupted. "I'm over that now."

Her eyes widened, clearly shaken at his calm reaction. The sound of tranquility in his own voice surprised him as well.

He had so much he wanted to tell her. How wrong he had been with both her and Lee. How she had been right all along. Fate was not something set in stone, but something he believed he now had the power to change. He had been so cold to her, to Lee, to his family because of it. But he wanted to put it all behind him. Today, he was a new man.

"Hiashi-sama explained everything to me." He reached up to untie his hitai, something he had never done in the presence of anyone, except in his match against Naruto, which was more out of anger and spite. He wanted to open up to someone, and she was the closest thing to a friend he probably would ever have.

His actions took her by complete surprise. But he continued on. "I have always believed that the branch family had been destined to serve the main family, our curse mark branding us as caged birds. But my father, he willingly sacrificed himself for the family. It was not because he was a branch member, but because he wanted to. He chose to die for the sake of our clan." He gingerly ran his fingers over his forehead where his curse mark had been exposed. Yes, he still had lingering feelings about it, but he no longer felt disgusted, or trapped because of it.

She did not reply. He had caught her completely off guard. She just stood quietly, staring blankly at him, as if waiting for him to turn demonic and tell her it had all been a lie. But he noticed that over the span of a few minutes, she seemed to realize that he was being honest, that he was finally opening up to her.

She said his name quietly, so quietly he barely heard her. And there was something about the way she said it made his heart skip a beat. Although she had been quiet, her tone had carried with it a sense of understanding, and as a result, a genuine smile emerged on his lips.

"Perhaps some things in life cannot be changed. But, perhaps I have been making blind assumptions about everything. And for that, I am sorry." He turned to her then, and when their gazes locked, he knew that she had forgiven him. She smiled softly in return, and everything seemed to be perfect at that point in his life. He wished he could have had his father with him, but he knew that somewhere above him, he was happy for him.

It truly was an amazing feeling to finally be let out of his cage.

-0-

Neji had met Tenten and Gai at their old veranda where they had met on their first day after graduating the academy. The sun was casting a red glow on Konoha, a somber sign for news Neji didn't know if he was ready to hear.

It had been months since Tenten had been cleared from the hospital following her fight with Temari. She had made a full recovery in a week; her paralysis had been (thankfully) temporary and she had been on her feet in days. The hospital staff knew better than to confine a member of Team Gai, and had released her shortly after.

Lee had not been so lucky.

Tenten's idol, Tsunade, had arrived in the village to accept the role of their new Hokage after the ordeal with Orochimaru had died out. Gai had sought her out quickly, hoping her medical expertise would help Lee recover from his injuries. Neji did not believe there was a way Lee would ever recuperate, but he knew little about Tsunade's abilities. And he was anxious to find out how her diagnosis had gone.

But Gai's persona told him that Lee was beyond even Tsunade's repair. He was hunched over, clutching the railings. He wanted to ask, just to be sure he was reading his posture correctly, but Gai spoke first.

"This cannot be happening."

There it was. Gai didn't come out and tell them directly, but his tone had been enough. Lee was not going to recover. Tsunade could not heal him. There was nothing that could be done.

And Neji suddenly felt guilty for his past treatment of Lee. Lee had always tried his best, and wanted nothing more than to prove his efforts could make him as great of a ninja as Neji was. And now, he would never have that chance to see it through. He had witnessed first-hand the power he possessed in his battle with Gaara. Lee truly was a splendid ninja.

They were silent for a while; Gai occasionally cursing at the situation, until Tenten spoke up.

"So…" she stuttered, the news of Lee's inevitable outcome heavy on her heart. "So does this mean that…no matter how hard we try…" Her voice began to break, and Neji watched as she fought to keep her tears from falling. She clenched her fists together as she continued. "That…that if you weren't born with the talent…"

Neji felt his heart break, which was a feeling he had only experienced once. She had been, by far, the strongest willed person, next to Lee, he had ever met. She had always tried her best, in training with him or by herself. She had given her all for the sake of becoming "legendary." And he had told her that it was not possible. One had to be born with it. But she refused to listen to him and kept trying. And yet, here she was, doubting herself, all because of him.

How wrong he had been. Lee and Tenten did not know, but he respected them, more so than he ever thought possible when they first met. Wasn't that legendary? To have someone as cold-hearted as Neji Hyuuga carry an admiration that he shared with no one else?

"Tenten." Gai's voice was stern, which was unusual for him. "Do _not_ doubt Lee's resolve." He paused for a second, then turned around to face them. Gai looked directly at Tenten with a look of seriousness Neji had never seen before, nor knew Gai was capable of making. "Nor your own. Not now. Not ever."

It was the first time in his life he had seen Tenten cry.

He wanted to say something to her, but what could he have said? He sat quietly as she fell to her knees, hands fisted tightly around the fabric of her pants. Gai carefully approached her and kneeled down in front of her.

"Certain people may have been born with talent, but you, my dear, and Lee, were both born with incredible willpower to overcome that. _That_ is _your_ natural talent." His words only made her cry harder. He gently smiled as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't ever forget that."

Gai stood up slowly and cast a glance towards Neji. He didn't want to hear what he was going to say. He knew that he was the oddball in the group. He had been born into a prestigious clan with a kekkei genkai. Lee and Tenten, and even Gai, had to put forth the effort to be on the same level as he had been born on. And that fact suddenly made him feel insecure.

But Gai did not seem to be dissatisfied with him. "You kept him going, Neji. And I have no doubt that you will continue to do so."

He then parted ways, leaving Neji with Tenten, and his words. Never before had Neji considered him a motivational man, but his opinion had now been changed. He had never felt the need to rise above anything; he knew he was strong and so did everyone else, and that was enough for him. But Gai's words echoed loudly in his ears. For some unknown reason, he had a powerful feeling that Lee _was_ going to recover. No, he would _make_ Lee recover. He would do everything in his being to make sure he knew that he believed in him. If he was Lee's motivation to overcome his trials, he would make sure he would do so again. And he would be right there to challenge him the minute Lee was well again.

A new resolve in his heart, he slid off his seat and sat beside Tenten, who was slowly regaining her composure. He put a hand on her shoulder, but when she flinched, he pulled back. She muttered an apology and looked away from him, so he placed his hand back on her shoulder. When she finally met his gaze again, he gave her a soft smile.

"Let's go visit Lee. I have something I need to tell him."

* * *

Thanks again for reading, and hopefully I didn't butcher the story line.


	3. Chapter 3

**::A/N::** First, I just want to express my thanks for all of you who have put up with my crappy two chapters. I have debated re-editing them, seeing as I have more ideas to use, but I hope to finish the story first. Good news is that I am hoping to make it up with this chapter. Because I had the best time writing it.

This was the chapter I loved the most, aside from the next chapter. I used the entire chapter for the one episode where Tenten is team captain and does an outstanding job defeating the enemies. It was an amazing glance at her power, and I loved it.

It's extremely long, though, but I hope it's well worth the time for you. Thanks again for reading and I hope you guys enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be living in Japan instead of saving to visit.

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Three_

"Tenten, you will be the captain of this mission!"

Neji had not expecting that. And apparently, neither had Tenten.

"Wh-what? Me?!"

Gai only smiled at her confused expression as he tossed her the mission scroll. "Normally, Neji would be team captain, but you, my dear flower, are the perfect candidate for this mission!"

Her surprise seemed to intensify and she nearly missed catching the scroll before it hit her in the face. "Re-Really? I mean, I usually don't do this kind of thing."

Their sensei did not comment further on his reasoning. He simply wished them all good luck, and then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Tenten tried to call out to him before he vanished, but it was too late. Gai had left her with responsibility she clearly did not think she was ready for.

Neji was actually pleased with Gai's decision. He knew that Tenten could have done a good job leading this new group, which now included Naruto instead of Lee, who was still recovering in the hospital. She had a no bullshit policy, which would keep Naruto in check. Even though she wasn't as talented and intelligent as Neji, she understood that. She did not let her pride stand in the way of completing a mission. She had confidence in her skills, and she knew how to work around Neji's abilities to get the job done quickly and effectively. Naruto's addition could have been a cause for concern, but the two of them worked well enough together that even the obnoxious ninja would not pose a problem.

So he didn't know why she had been so surprised. He thought she would have been thrilled at a chance to lead a team for once instead of following his orders. He assumed it was because it had been a routine for her; she did what _he_ told her, and she was not comfortable commanding him, or anyone for that matter.

Well, he had faith in her, so he hoped to make her comfortable in her new position. "So, what do we do next, captain?"

And it seemed to work. She appeared much more relaxed at his comment. If looks could speak for themselves, he could have sworn she was trying to thank him with her smile.

"Right. I guess this really means I'm in charge now," she added rather proudly, and that helped put Neji's mind at ease. She didn't need to be worried. She was going to be fine.

Until Naruto opened his big mouth. "Maybe Neji should be the captain. I mean, he always has been, so why give it to you?"

Neji didn't even have time to say a word before Tenten grabbed his collar and yanked him around to face her, the anger in her eyes strong enough to tear Naruto to pieces.

"I am the captain for this mission, and I _will_ make sure that it is a success!"

Neji thought the scene playing out before him was rather comical. Tenten had a short temper and was quick to lash out at times, as he had learned with her dealings with Lee. And it was entertaining to watch how quickly Naruto, who didn't know that much about the girl who was strangling him, had come to see her side of the argument.

However, she had made her point within seconds; Naruto now understood his position and would not make the same mistake twice. But she refused to let him go, so he intervened before Naruto ended up joining Lee in the hospital.

"Calm down, Tenten. It's a simple D-rank mission. Everything is going to be fine."

She did not release Naruto immediately, but when she did, he seemed grateful as he took a deep breath to regain the oxygen he had lost in her grasp. In a split second, her frustration diminished and her usual chipper-self emerged. She turned to face him, her positive energy now more vibrant than before. She lifted her fist to the sky, the same way Lee did when he got excited. (That comparison did not sit well with him.)

"Let's go, guys!" she exclaimed, and Naruto loudly approved from where he sat on the floor.

Neji sighed. Now she was too worked up. But he had been on enough missions with her to know that she knew when she needed to be cautious. So, kept his mouth shut and followed behind her as they began making preparations to head out.

-0-

They reached the border of Fire Country in a matter of minutes. Their objective had been simple. They were asked to find a blacksmith who owned a store outside of Konoha. Rumor had it he had been kicked out of the village, but no one knew for sure why. Due to the impending threat of Orochimaru and Otogakure, Konoha was in dire need of a much larger artillery. He now understood why Tenten had been chosen to lead over him.

Naruto, however, did not.

"Wait, we have to _carry_ all of those weapons back with us?! How are we supposed to do that?!"

Neji sighed; Naruto was a league of his own. He began to explain how this task was possible, that because of Tenten's _Kunchiyose no Jutsu_, it allowed her to store a large amount of weapons in her scrolls. It was quite an amazing feat; he had first-hand knowledge of the ability, and had nearly lost a limb or two in training as a result of her hidden arsenal.

Naruto stared at him, dumbfounded for a few seconds. "So, this means we don't have to carry anything back?" Neji did not respond and he seemed to get the idea. "That's so cool! We can just let her do it! This will be a piece of cake!"

He refrained from letting out another sigh. He agreed that this was going to be easy; he didn't know what could go wrong. There was the possible threat of intruding villages that they could cross paths with, but out in the middle of nowhere, that was a slim possibility. But he would not dismiss it. He just hoped Tenten did the same.

"I wonder…"

"What's wrong, captain?" Naruto asked. Neji noticed Tenten carefully studying the scroll containing their mission requirements. What could she possibly be wondering about? Their mission was as simple as they came.

Then again, she _was_ a weapons specialist. This was her kind of thing. "I wonder what kind of new tools they have?"

He couldn't see her face, but he knew the tone in her voice all too well. It was a mix of anxiousness and excitement. A part of him wondered if she would put their mission on hold in order to study these "new developments" when it had not been required. Maybe that's why Gai had chosen her as team leader: Neji would not have taken the time to explore that particular part of their mission, while Konoha may have taken an interest in learning about them. And who more to send to investigate than one of their own experts in the field?

An explosion in the distance caught his immediate attention. The warehouse was due north, where the smoke began soaring into the sky. Had they been under attack? Had the mission already been compromised? Forgetting for a moment that he was not in charge, he swiftly leaped off the branch in order to find the cause of the explosion. Naruto followed in pursuit, and Tenten rolled up the scroll and placed it in its proper place before following behind them.

They reached the building in a matter of seconds. Once inside, Neji realized the fire had been small and posed no severe threat. A young man with his back turned to the group fanned the flames with a wool blanket in an attempt to diminish the fire. An older man stood at the center of the shop, arms crossed over his chest in disappointment. He didn't seem to mind the recent eruption, which lead Neji to believe _he_ had been the source of it.

Neji watched as Tenten proceeded with caution, and he was relieved. This place was to contain all sorts of secrets she would no doubt want to discover for herself. But she masked her eagerness behind a shield of vigilance. They did not know if this man had been the person they sought after, and she was wise in treating the situation carefully.

"Um, excuse me," she asked softly. The older man peeled open an eye at her, then turned to face her.

"Who are you?"

His tone had been annoyed, as if he had been interrupted from a train of thought. But Tenten continued regardless. "Are you Iou-sama?"

His eyes widened in apparent shock at the sound of his name. "I am. And who might you be?"

Knowing that her team was safe, Tenten charged at the man, removing the mission documentation as proof of their presence. "We are here on official business from Konoha. We came to gather some weapons and to investigate any interesting new ideas in the field!"

The man known as Iou lit up in excitement as well. She stepped forward to show him the scroll that contained exactly what their superiors had requested. But before the older man could examine the paper, the younger man threw himself in between them, the fire he had been trying to put out had spread onto his clothing. The poor man furiously patted at the flames, screaming his discomfort, and right when Neji was about to assist him, Tenten slapped the man out of her way.

Neji nearly had a heart-attack. He had _never_ known Tenten to ignore someone else's troubles, especially something to this extent. The mere fact she had just thrown him aside as harshly as she had so she could continue talking to her newfound friend was not something Neji had expected her to do. Even Naruto gawked beside him.

Neji quickly grabbed the blanket the young man dropped beside his feet when he caught on fire and threw it on top of the poor kid. He and Naruto continued to pat at his body until his fits had calmed and the fire seemed to be completely out. Drawing in a breath of relief, he glanced up at Tenten and Iou, who had not even noticed their deed in saving the man's life.

"Let me show you some of my creations! Come this way!"

Tenten clapped her hands together in delight. Neji and Naruto spared each other a look, then they both shook their heads and helped the other man to his feet.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked. Before he could even nod or express his thanks, Iou called out to him.

"Shoseki, bring me those ninja tools!" And then the man was gone, disappearing into a dark corner of the room. Neji heard him fiddling with something; the sound of metal ringing through the room and a grunt of pain every now and then was all that kept the room from falling into silence. Finally, he emerged with an arm full of bandaged objects and carefully set them down on the table where the four of them had gathered.

"Take a look at this one!" Iou exclaimed loudly, unwrapping the first bundle. "I call this invention the double-bladed kunai!"

Neji stared at the double-bladed weapon and frowned. How was that a practical weapon to use in battle? There was no handle, no proper and safe way to wield it. Tenten thought the same thing, but Naruto had been intrigued by the design and attempted to pick it up. He instantly pulled back, grabbing his hand and screaming a curse at the top of his lungs.

Iou laughed at him. "Oh, and be careful when handling it! The blade is coated with a thin layer of poison!"

Neji exhaled deeply in disgust and watched as Naruto's face began to pale. He started to shake with concern, or as an effect of the poison. He then muttered, "Too late now," before he collapsed to the floor, the poison spreading at an incredible rate. Neji silently activated his Byakugan to ensure that he was fine. When he noticed that his chakra had not been disturbed to a life-threatening level, he deactivated his kekkei genkai and quietly expressed his condolences.

"That's too dangerous to the user," Tenten added, drawing Neji's attention back to the table. Without skipping a beat, the old man grabbed another bandaged "masterpiece" and unraveled it to reveal the exact opposite of the previous invention.

"That's why I made this," he said, holding up the object with a sense of pride. "It's what I call a double-handed kunai!"

Neji held back the urge to slap his forehead. _This_ is the person they came to about for creating their weapons? Did he even know how to _make_ a regular kunai?!

"There's no purpose for it," he finally expressed, seeing that Tenten was too dissatisfied to do so herself.

Iou glared at him, then he angrily grabbed his next piece. "How about this? The thousand blade shuriken?"

Neji wanted him to stop before he ruined his reputation, and before he completely diffused Tenten's anticipation. They both remained quiet, and Iou noticed they were not impressed, so he opened his last invention. "Instead of a chain-sickle, how about a sickle-chain?"

Tenten let out an exasperated sigh next to him. Her excitement had officially run out. She approached the older man and, to Neji's amusement, angrily extended a finger in his face.

"This is all you have? None of these weapons can even be used in battle!"

Iou leaned back, cowering away from the girl in front of him. Neji had to hand it to Tenten; she could be very intimidating when she had to be. Iou stuttered for a minute, but he regained his composure, and his spine, and beamed at her.

"Well, if these do not interest you, I guess I could show you something better."

Neji rolled his eyes. There was no possible way someone like him could have created anything better than a ball on a stick. What was he going to show them next? A shuriken-covered nunchaku?

They exited the building. Even Naruto had managed to drag himself outside, although his grumbling did not stop. They soon found themselves facing an extremely large boulder with a target placed in the middle. Neji, Tenten, and Naruto exchanged worried glances, then they all turned to Iou with dreadful curiosity.

"So, what does this do?"

Iou laughed again and ignored Tenten's question. "Who wants to assist me?"

-0-

Neji stared into the fire he had managed to start to cook some lunch. It had been an extremely long afternoon, and he was ready to call it quits. This crazed mad-scientist of weaponry was beyond him. His last invention had been the last straw for Naruto, and had even made Tenten realize how hopeless her plans to investigate new ninja tools were. He suddenly became very happy at the fact he was not this team's leader. Although Tenten was upset and disappointed, she had enough patience to stick it out and deal with the old man. He could not have done the same.

After the "ninja shuriken" ordeal, and to keep Naruto from killing Iou, they had all decided on a break. Tenten furiously ordered Iou and Shoseki to produce the mission requirements: 1000 kunai and 1000 shurikens. After they had time to calm down, they would return to the shop and acquire them, and then they would depart after lunch.

Neji sat and waited for the fish to cook while trying to think of something besides the events of the late morning and early afternoon. He instead found himself focusing more on Tenten's strange behavior. He knew deep down she had an obsession with anything sharp and deadly, but he had seen a side of her he wasn't sure he liked. When she pushed Shoseki away when he was on fire to continue talking to Iou; when she ignored Naruto's thankfully non-crucial poisoning; it just wasn't like her. She usually was the first on their team to come to anyone's aid, whether it was himself, Lee, or even a complete stranger.

He decided not to make sense of it. He had been on the same team with her for a little over two years. She may have had a crazy side to her, but for the most part, he could trust her to complete a mission successfully and with little to no injury to herself or her team. And besides, she still wasn't as crazy as Lee and Gai, even in her weapon-crazed state of mind.

He inspected the food on the flame and seeing that it was nearly done, he stood up to find his missing two teammates. He walked around a boulder and found Tenten sitting on a rock while Naruto stood beside her. Something about the scene in front of him did not sit well with him, and he couldn't figure out why. He could barely make out what they were saying. He managed to hear her make the comment about how the reason she had been so excited to find new weapons was so she could use these new developments to fight on the front lines with Neji and Lee.

She tried to smile as she kept her eyes on the sky, but Neji could tell she was forcing it. He had remembered how happy she had been when they arrived, and that had all but vanished. But he didn't know why she had been so anxious just so she could use new weapons to fight alongside them. Their team functioned to near perfection because they understood each other's strengths and used them in a number of formations for practically every situation. He knew that she didn't get involved in the action as much as she wanted to, but she had always been a great asset to their success. He didn't think their team could perform as well if they lost the stability she provided by simply backing them up from a distance.

Then Naruto spoke up. "Well, just don't think about it. Go in and fight!"

She seemed like she had just been struck by lightning. She turned to Naruto with a confused look, then burst out into laughter. "You really are simple-minded, huh?"

Even though Neji could not see Naruto's reaction, he sounded extremely puzzled. "…Huh?"

And then Tenten offered him a sincere smile, and something about that made Neji extremely unhappy. The way her face seemed to magically light up and her positive spirit was brought back to life…all because of _Naruto_? No, that did _not_ sit well with him. He didn't even _know_ her. She was _his _training partner and _his_ friend. He should have been the one to make her happy again, not some tag along replacement for Lee.

He suddenly realized how tight his fists were against his side, but he couldn't stop his anger from slipping into his usually calm tone when he called out to them. "Hey," was all he said, and even to his own ears, he sounded gruff. It got their attention, though.

"Neji." Tenten sounded surprised when she spoke his name, and he was rewarded somewhat when she shifted her gaze from his apologetically. Whether or not she knew exactly why he had sounded upset, well, he hoped she didn't know.

"The fish is ready." Before she could make an attempt to read into his thoughts, he turned his back on them and walked back towards the campsite. He heard shuffling of feet behind him, and he was hoping that Naruto had scampered off to find Iou and his sidekick to inform them that their meal was prepared. He was disappointed when he did not hear Tenten's soft voice behind him.

"Tenten went to get Iou and Shoseki! She'll be back soon." Naruto explained. "Man, I am hungry! Those look _soo _good!" Naruto was about to reach out and grab a skewered fish when he caught Neji's eye. He thought better of extending his hand and retreated. But when he became uncomfortable in his stare, Naruto spoke up.

"Uh, did I do something wrong? Why are you glaring at me?"

He wanted to say something along the lines of _stay away from her,_ but he kept his comment to himself. He simply broke eye contact and sat himself down on the other side of the flame. Naruto took his silence as an answer and shrugged his shoulders. He attempted a second time to reach for a fish when he was interrupted again.

This time it was Tenten. "Neji! Naruto! They're gone!"

-0-

When they arrived at the abandoned warehouse, Neji's concern that the two blacksmith had been abducted was shot down. There were no signs of a struggle. In fact, it was just the opposite. Everything had been neat and orderly. He found that disturbing. Why would they have forsaken their duties, and where would they have gone?

Tenten appeared to think the same. She made several glances around the room, but she found no clues either. She walked to the fireplace; the soft glow of the embers a sign that they had been gone for a while, probably shortly after they had left them. She looked around for a hidden door they might have missed a few hours before, but found nothing.

Naruto did not think anything of it. "They're gone! Man. Why would they run off like that? Guess this means they didn't want to do what they were told."

Neji groaned. Naruto had to have known that something was wrong about this situation. But now he had to wonder. If they had in fact run off, should they go find them, or should they just give up and return to Konoha? The whole day had been a waste of his time to begin with, so why bother with trying to locate them when they had been the ones to take off in the first place? He was sure their superiors would understand.

But he was not the captain this time. "What do you want to do, Tenten?"

He half expected her to give up, and the other half expected her to ask him what _he _thought she should do. And he was impressed when she didn't do either.

"Hold on." She walked back towards the table that still had the bizarre and useless weapon creations that had been presented earlier that morning. She picked up the twin-bladed kunai carefully and studied it, as if the metal held the answer to her questions.

Apparently it helped, because she responded quickly. "They may not have had the best ideas, but their craftsmanship is genuine. I don't think they would simply abandon this store. They have to be somewhere around here." She paused, then turned to face him. "Neji, could you search the place?"

He knew what she wanted him to do, so he nodded his approval and activated his Byakugan. He scanned the area, careful to cover every inch of the shop. They could have left a chakra trail only his eyes would have been able to catch.

He found what he was looking for in seconds. A hidden passage blocked by a chakra infused door, triggered by a pulling a chakra string attached to a nearby spade. He walked over to the small piece of metal and lightly tugged on it, the door opening to reveal a small crawlspace that they didn't even know existed. They all three looked at each other, then nodded heads and continued down the stairs one at a time.

The underground basement was enormous. Neji was surprised to see such a wide open space beneath something as small as the warehouse had been. He immediately knew that Tenten had been right in assuming they did not abandon the shop, and was also convinced they had not seen the last of their inventions. So why did they hide from them? They might have been kicked out of Konoha, but they still had an alliance with them. Maybe they thought the task was insulting. Maybe they just didn't want to waste their time on a mundane request. Maybe he would never know.

But there was a problem; the path to get to the other side of the cavern was obstructed by large scythe-like pendulums. A lot of them. The path was narrow, and one false step would send someone plunging into the open pit. Neji knew there was no way in hell they would be able to walk their way to the other side successfully with the obstacles. There had to be another way.

Naruto did not think that. "Alright! Let's go guys! Just follow me!"

Thankfully, Tenten grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. "Wait." She pointed through the swinging metal trap at an Iou look-a-like dummy placed on the middle part of the path. "Looks like a test."

She looked at Neji, and he nodded, grabbing a kunai from his pouch. He released the knife with a quick flick of his wrist in a manner that she had actually taught him so he could improve his aim. She must have noticed, because she grinned in approval.

The clang of metal on metal caught their attention, and Neji cursed himself. He missed and his kunai had been rejected by one of the scythes. He barely managed to launch the thing a few meters before it was blocked. But he didn't have time to think about his failure before the ceiling gave way to cannons and began shooting kunais in mass numbers.

He wasn't the only one who was shocked. However, he quickly fell into his _Kaiten_ stance, a move he felt all too familiar with when being attacked with a staggering amount of weapons at once. It was like it was natural now. He spun quickly, forcing his charka into a shield to defend them and after a few second, the attack ceased.

Tenten stepped up shortly after. "I'll handle this." He muttered a "thanks" in response, but a part of him wanted to try again. Failure did not sit well with him, but he assumed now was not the time. He would just have to leave this in Tenten's capable hands.

She stood still for a second, kunai already held tightly in her hand. Before he could even blink, she used the same technique Neji had used minutes earlier, only with more precision and ease, so much so that it made him realize exactly how much better she was than him. In this particular case, anyway.

The kunai made a _thud_ against the wooden dummy, and he watched in slight awe as it fell into the pit. Not only had her dagger missed the metal pendulums, she had nailed the center of the target. She didn't even seem fazed, but he knew that was because anything less would not have been acceptable. But still, he was amazed.

Naruto was even more so. "Wow! You hit it! That was great!" It truly was a sight to behold, but in Neji's case, it had been one he had seen executed many times before. But he didn't say anything to assert that fact. It was Naruto, but maybe now someone else could know of her prowess.

Naruto began walking down the cleared and now safe path, but stopped when he saw more wooden dummies, living ones, approaching them. Neji had seen this jutsu used a few times on training dummies, but not in this number. There must have been well over twenty. Maybe even fifty.

Naruto once again stepped forward, ready to handle the challenge himself. Tenten didn't even bother to stop him. Instead, she grabbed a scroll from her side and jumped into the air, her actions making Naruto realize that she had taken over. Again. He bolted back to where Neji stood as her army of weapons rained down on the army of dolls, hitting the center of their targets and rendering them useless. Once they were all taken care of, and she had landed back on the ground, Naruto clapped her on the shoulder.

"That was amazing! You're really good at this stuff!"

She blushed at Naruto's compliment and laughed nervously. "Nah. That was nothing."

And as they walked down the narrow path to the other side, all Neji wanted to do was shove Naruto into the pit.

-0-

He knew the minute they set foot in the room, this is what heaven looked like to Tenten. She ran around, studying every weapon; from katanas to shuriken, to weapons he had never seen before. He could tell by the pitch of her voice that this was what she had been waiting for. He didn't even bother trying to ask her what they were to do now, knowing full well she was far more interested in the steel around the room than the mission.

Once she was satisfied and every piece of metal analyzed, she placed a scroll on the floor. "Alright! Neji, Naruto, bring them all here! I hope they can all fit!"

He rolled his eyes as he did what he was told. He wasn't used to being commanded, and he wasn't sure that he liked it. She usually was cordial around him, even up until this point being in charge, but he also knew that her love for sharp artifacts changed her personality. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

He grabbed the closest thing he could find. Well, he attempted to at least. He tried to lift the thing from its position on the wall, but it wouldn't budge. "This is heavy," he said inaudibly, making sure Tenten could not hear his complaint. It had to have weighed a ton. He was willing to place a bet that Lee, even perfectly healed, could not have lifted…whatever the thing was. He stared at it for a second longer, then walked to a slightly smaller and less massive object. He would come back and try again later.

"And what do you think you are doing?"

The sound of another voice startled Neji, as well as Tenten and Naruto. They all turned toward the speaker.  
"Iou-sama?"

At least they had found him. Neji wanted to strike a few chakra points for dragging them through all of this nonsense just because they didn't want to make "simple" items.

The elder spoke again. "I am quite impressed you managed to make it through my traps."

_That was a cakewalk for Tenten,_ he thought. She said the same. "I've trained with many kinds of ninja weapons. A trap like that was nothing."

"Well then," he replied, sending Shoseki away to gather something for him. "Let me put your skills to the test one last time."

No. He was done with this man. He wanted him to do what he was told to do so they could leave. But damnit, he was not the captain. And he knew Tenten would accept.

"This is my newest invention," he continued when the younger man dropped the large scroll on the ground. The ground slightly shook under its weight, and Neji had a bad feeling about what was inside that scroll. "This is Jidanda!"

Tenten grew curious. "Jidanda?" But before anyone else could say anything, a larger tremor shook the lair, enough to rattle some of the hanging weapons. An alarm went off, and Neji couldn't help but smile. He could now put his frustration to good use.

They had company.

-0-

The trio stood in front of Iou and Shoseki while they stared down the intruders. There were two of them, no apparent affiliation with an enemy country visible to Neji's eyes. They each held their own scroll, and he was sure that inside they contained some kind of weapon. Even though he didn't know his enemies abilities, he had become rather adept to fighting someone with similar abilities as Tenten had. If his training with her taught him anything about weapons, it was that it all depended on the wielder and how they used them. And he knew how to read opponents better than anyone else currently on the battleground.

"Naruto, take the one on the right. Neji, take the one on the left. I'll provide back-up from here and protect Iou."

And with Tenten's instruction, they charged at their enemies, who opened their scrolls and, just like he had anticipated, they called forth two weapons he had never seen before. Naruto's opponent wielded a large staff with a pointed edge. However, the spear could move on its own, or rather, at the behest of the one holding it, and he watched as Naruto slid to a halt before the pointed end cut through him.

Neji's opponent carried a large turtle shell-looking contraption, so he assumed he was the defense of the duo. He leaped into the air, pulled out a kunai, and slammed his weight on top of the shield. Metal sliced against metal, but the man beneath him didn't look fazed or troubled in the least. Before he could push himself off, one of the compartments of the shield retracted and a small metal weight crashed against his stomach with enough force to send him flying off the shield.

It was a lucky shot and he would not catch him off guard again. Now he at least knew that in addition to providing defense, the enemy could also attack with it. Tenten bought him some time to catch his breath as she fired two fuuma shuriken to distract them.

Then Iou announced his horrifying discovery. "No…no way! Those are _my_ creations!" Neji was relieved. Now they could figure out weak points and come up with a strategy to defeat them. But Iou was off in his own world, more concerned about why the enemy had them then how to stop them. Shoseki explained that he sold them to help pay for research without his apparent order, which seemed to irritate Iou.

Neji didn't have time for their squabbling. They could take care of that after the battle was over. But the enemy did not allow them the time to ask the creator about weaknesses. Naruto whipped out a kunai to deflect the weapon Iou called Dakou, the stretchable spear. And just as Iou had described, it retracted towards Naruto, who had not anticipated the counter-attack. The sharpened edge slashed through his arm and he soon collapsed to the ground, holding his injured left shoulder.

Now it was Neji's turn. He took the opening he saw while the spear was returning to its master to launch an attack. Knowing that mid-range fighting was favored in this situation, he grabbed two shurikens from his pouch and launched them at the one carrying the spear. It would have been a good start had the other one not jumped in and blocked his barrage. He braced himself when the shield's outer layer opened up in a similar fashion as before and senbon needles were shot in his direction.

He knew what to do. It was just like the time in the underground bunker. He utilized his _Kaiten_ and successfully blocked the attack. But in the short amount of time he was hidden behind his chakra shield, the enemy had disappeared. It didn't take him long to figure out his motive; he had jumped into the air to begin another assault. But it was too late for him to begin another _Kaiten_ in defense. The enemy had already shot out small objects he recognized immediately.

_Shit_.

The bombs exploded the second they made contact with the ground. He could barely make out Tenten calling out to him. All he could hear were the explosions. Luckily, the enemy ninja missed a chance to severely wound him. He was temporally blinded by smoke and dirt, but the bombardment seemed to have ended and he was not injured.

He soon felt a rush of wind, and as the cloud of debris faded, he watched Naruto charge with his Rasengan. His helping clone disappeared as the spear wielding man ran up to meet him. He slashed at his feet, but Naruto jumped to avoid it. He prepared to land his hit just when the enemy retracted his spear and used it as a defense maneuver to evade the attack. Naruto slammed his hand into the ground where his opponent had been standing, and as he slowly pulled back, the other ninja fired his weighted chain from his shield.

Neji was infuriated. They were getting their asses handed to them by Iou's inventions! He was at a loss of what to do. They needed a strategy, but they would not be offered the time. The only possible way he thought they could win was if they could get them to engage in hand-to-hand combat. All Neji would have to do was close their charka points and victory was theirs. But the enemies were skilled with their weapons, which made drawing the fight to them that much more difficult.

Finally, Tenten turned to Iou and asked what they had been needing to know from the start of the battle. "What are their weaknesses? If we know that, we could come up with a plan to beat them!"

Despite the grim situation they were in, Iou smiled at her. "They don't have any."

Neji wanted to kill him. They didn't _have_ any?! What the hell was that supposed to mean?  
Tenten seemed just as surprised as was. "But, you said they were prototypes!"

He only laughed at her apparent naiveté. "I only said that because I used their abilities to make something far greater!"

Before Neji had a chance to Jyuuken his heart, Tenten spoke up again. "Then, please. Please let me use it for this battle!"

Iou drew his eyebrows together for a second, then nodded his approval. He placed his hand on the large scroll he had mentioned earlier. "That would be Jidanda!"

Another invention Neji doubted would benefit them now. Their enemies already knew that Naruto and Neji excelled at close range combat versus mid or long range. They had no hope of changing that. On top of that, he didn't like placing his last bet on Jidanda.

Basically, they were screwed.

And their enemies knew that. "Looks like we have won this fight."

But Tenten did not surrender. "Don't get carried away." Neji and Naruto turned to her, an aura of confidence now radiating from her. "I'm your opponent now," she declared as she took the large scroll and placed it on the ground. She kneeled next to the paper, created a few hand signs, and activated the symbol written on the parchment.

They all stared in shock at the sight of an enormous spiked ball that had appeared. Even the enemies were distracted as a result of its size. Well, there went their last hope for victory with Iou's invention. What good was it going to be if Tenten couldn't even _move _it?!

Naruto was rather cheerful about it. "That…that is _so_ cool! Wow!" Then he seemed to realize the dilemma. "But, uh, it's…kinda big."

She tried to move it anyway, but the ball would not budge. Iou told her that it did not require strength to move it, but technique. He hoped she understood that, because he couldn't fathom how moving it was even possible.

The enemy-nin chuckled behind them. "So, this is Iou-sama's new invention?"

"If you hand it over quietly, we might even let you live."

Neji glared at the duo. _No one_ threatened his teammate and lived to tell about it. His lost motivation to win burned anew within him. They were going to regret crossing his team in battle.

"No!" Tenten shouted possessively. "This is mine!"

"Well, then," the spear wielder said as he made a move to attack. "I will just have to take it from you!"

Neji instantly swore as the enemy lunged into the air, taking aim at the girl blocking his prize. Without thinking, he turned on his heel and ran to her side and blocked the first strike just in time. His heart was racing as he watched the spear retract to its owner. If he had been a second or two later, well, he didn't want to think about it.

"Neji." She said his name calmly, but with slight surprise. He occasionally had felt the need to jump to her rescue, but he never would; she usually did fine on her own. Even as he stood in front of her as her knight in shining armor, he wondered why he reacted without thought. She stood her ground before, so she could stand her ground now. But for some reason, every cell in his body screamed at him to forget insulting her pride, and his, and save her. And that's what he had done. Regardless of whether or not she wanted it.

But the enemy was not finished. Neji's unpredicted move only seemed to anger him. "Looks like I'll have to take care of you first!"

Neji gripped his kunai tighter in his hand as the spear's head descended on him again. He managed to block the first two assaults, but his defenses had been knocked out of equilibrium, and he did not have the time to stabilize them before the spear made contact with his shoulder.

His arm burned with immense pain as he fell to the ground. He cursed out loud. He felt like such a failure! He was tired of being on the losing end of this battle, and it frustrated him to no end that he wasn't strong enough to overcome the odds.

At least he had peace of mind knowing that he had saved Tenten.

Naruto soon joined him on the ground, his multiple shadow clones wiped out instantly with a rain shower of senbon needles from the other ninja. They were done for. They were finished. They were fighting a battle they could not win. Even though he was not the captain, he felt responsible for failing his team. And the loss was weighing heavily on his mind. What would happen to them now? What would happen to _her_ now?

"Neji! Naruto! Get out of the way!"

He quickly turned his attention to Tenten and noticed that she had an idea. He jumped out of the way just as she used a part of Jidanda to stretch and meet the two unsuspecting ninja in front of them. The attack knocked them both over, even as the one used his shield to try to defend against it. Neji soon discovered that she had hit them with the handle, its elasticity a factor given to Jidanda by the prototype the enemy had.

But attacking with the handle would not be enough, and he was sure she knew that as well. So how the hell did she intend to move the giant spiked ball?

His question was soon answered as the handle retracted into the ball, the force rotating the weapon and allowing her to jump onto it safely. Neji watched in complete astonishment as the small explosions given off by her exploding tags lifted the mass of steel from the ground. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant! A small smile worked its way on to his face.

She was actually going to pull this off!

When the enemy ninja tried to stop her accent into the sky, she hurled more tags in an attempt to block her from their view. And it worked. The enemies were completely lost at what she was going to do next.

Then, she managed to use the momentum given to her by the exploding tags to throw the ball at her opponents, letting gravity take care of the rest. After a few feet of sliding on the ground, Neji's heart skipped a beat when the combined efforts of the duo actually stopped the thing. Had they lost? Had their enemies managed to beat them, even with a weapon like Jidanda?

But just when the enemy thought victory had been declared, the spikes of the contraption jutted out, revealing even more exploding tags. Before they could even make an effort to dodge, Tenten landed back on the ground and executed the final stage in her plan. Seconds later, the tags went off, loudly signaling the end of the battle.

It was incredible. He stood still, dazed at the reality of what had happened. Tenten had defeated the enemies. Even the combined efforts of Naruto and himself had not been enough. But she did it so effortlessly. He was slightly upset that she had bested him, perhaps even jealous, but overall, he was extremely proud of her.

Iou approached her, delighted at the fight he had been able to watch from the sidelines. "You did an exceptional job! Congratulations! I never thought a time would come that someone could handle Jidanda as remarkably as you have done today!"

Her face lit up at his compliment. "Does this mean I can keep it?!"

"Um, no," he stated, waving her question off before speaking again. "I found some improvements I could make while watching you fight. I need it back." As Shoseki came up to take Jidanda from her, Neji could see the pained look in her eyes when she realized she had to surrender it. "However, you can take all the first-rate weapons you want!"

But Tenten had long stopped listening to him. She slumped over, her cheerfulness replaced with disappointment. Even as Naruto and Neji approached her, she still looked…sad. He wanted to tell her that she had done admirably and that she had nothing to be upset about. She had performed better than the two men combined. And that was a feat to be proud of.

But Naruto beat him to it. "You did amazing, captain! I thought we were done for, then _whoosh_, you come in with that big…thing…and…and _boom_! That was _awesome_!"

She didn't even seem to notice he had spoken to her. Good. He wanted her to hear him first anyway. "You completed the mission, Tenten."

"Yeah, don't be upset!"

He clenched his fists in order to prevent himself from lashing out at Naruto. Tenten finally looked at them, but her mood did not change.

So he tried another approach. "I'm sure when he is done making adjustments he will let you have Jidanda." When he caught her gaze, he smiled at her. "After all, he owes you his life because you did such an exceptional job with it."

And then she smiled at him. Not at Naruto. _Him_. Tenten smiled at Neji. All his tension from the mission and his annoyance with Naruto vanished instantly.

"Thank you, Neji."

He exhaled a sigh of relief. The mission was officially over. They walked together as a team behind Iou and Shoseki to gather whatever Tenten deemed necessary to take back to Konoha. As they parted ways when they finished collecting their new weapons, Neji knew it was not goodbye. He knew they would be back. They, being Tenten and Neji. He knew she would not rest until she had Jidanda back in her possession.

He had not seen the last of Iou-sama.

* * *

I hope I didn't get carried away with Neji's personality. I tried to keep him as stoic as possible. But it gets hard, and kind of redundant. I just hope I didn't cross a line.

Thanks again for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**::A/N:: **Again, many thanks for all of you who have read this story! I couldn't have had the motivation to continue without it, and I cannot thank you enough!

Another extremely long chapter, but this was another one of my favorites, and consists of the Raiga saga. By far my favorite filler episodes, all because of the showing of Tenten's character. I cannot and probably will not understand how people can not like her after seeing episode 156. Reason why she's my favorite of all time! Oh, and Lee. Can't forget him.

A word of warning: I tried to keep Neji in character as much as I could, but I think I made him slightly more aggressive than I should have. But, I think after all the events of the saga, anyone would have lost it. So I'm hoping it wasn't too bad.

Thanks again for sticking with me and I hope to not let you down here!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, well, I would. But I don't.

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Four_

It was the first mission under the command of their new Hokage, Tsunade, that Team Gai undertook without Gai. It wasn't as if they had gone on missions without him before, but Tsunade did not know that, or didn't care about it. Neji couldn't help but feel slightly honored at the fact she trusted them enough to complete their mission without a Jounin instructor.

Until he realized Naruto was an addition to their squad. He would have much rather had Gai. As Tsunade continued to brief them over their mission, Naruto seemed just as disappointed as Neji had been.

"So, why am I here? Academy kids could do this mission."

If he were not in the presence of his leader, he would have strangled Naruto. What the hell had he meant by that? Team Gai was known as one of the most skilled and exceptional squads Konoha had ever seen. The fact that Naruto failed to realize who his companions were for this "easy" mission did not sit well with him.

Before he could tell Tsunade that Naruto had been an extra member his team did not require, the older lady growled at his comment. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm too busy training and trying to find Sasuke to be sent on some boring mission like—" Tsunade reached around her desk and yanked Naruto towards her, clearly irate with the child. Neji was content in allowing the Hokage to throttle him, but he wished she had given him the chance to do so instead.

"You are a Genin, and you will take whatever mission I give you, you understand?! You talk back to me like that again and I'll send you back to the academy faster than you can say you're sorry!"

Lee and Tenten seemed to pity Naruto, but Neji took pity for Tsunade. He couldn't even fathom having to deal with someone like him every day. He was suddenly very thankful for Lee and Gai. Even though he still thought their level of insanity was inhumane, Naruto was on a different wavelength he was not used to. He silently pleaded that his leader would see that Naruto was not fit to accompany them and they could head out without him.

"Neji Hyuuga!"

The sound of his name brought him back to the present. "Yes?"

"You're team leader!" He knew that much. He always was team captain, minus the one time Tenten led over him. But that was it. He assumed Tsunade needed a change of subjects, and his nomination had been an easy and quick alternative.

Then she surprised him and launched Naruto at him. He grabbed the boy under the arms, and he suddenly felt like she was rewarding him, allowing him his time to strangle him. He took advantage of it and smiled to himself when he made an effort to break free, and failed.

"It will be good training for you trying to tame the untamable!"

He thought now was a good time to try and convince her that his team did not need to include Naruto; that they could complete this mission successfully without him. "I'd rather not." When her eyes narrowed in a similar fashion she had done before choking Naruto, he decided not to aggravate her further. "But, I'll do it."

His response still did nothing to ease her glare, and while he tried to come up with something to say as a form of apology, Naruto took advantage of his lapse in strength and shook him off.

"I'll be out training, so come find me whenever you guys need me." Lee quickly followed him out of the room, and Neji turned to the elder. He heard Naruto add something along the lines of, "You old bat," and he knew anything he would say would not alleviate her frustration. So he didn't even bother. He bowed respectably instead, turning to exit before Tsunade's gaze could kill him.

Tenten bravely stayed behind for a few seconds, muttering an apology and saying that they just didn't have any manners. He assumed she was referring to Naruto, and maybe Lee, but surely she did not mean him. He at least bowed to her before he left. He may have lost points in Tsunade's book for trying to convince her Naruto was not worth the time, but Tsunade would probably forget Neji's slip by the time they returned anyway. He assumed Tenten would do the same.

Lee was waiting for him outside the office and Tenten soon joined as well. The team began walking slowly down the hallway opposite from Naruto, Lee rambling on about how he would prove his strength to Gai Sensei and make him proud. Before Neji or Tenten could tell him to shut up, a loud crash caught their attention. Neji had been startled for a second, until he heard the Hokage scream in frustration. She had likely thrown something out of the window, as the sound of broken glass followed shortly after. He was extremely grateful that he left when he did. He had no doubt that if he had stayed to try and reason with her, she would have chucked _him_ out the window.

Lee panicked and charged back towards the room where he thought danger awaited. Neji let him go, more so because he didn't have a chance to inform him that the danger was Tsunade. Tenten seemed hesitant, and just as she was about to join Lee, he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So," he began, "Who has no manners?"

That stopped her. She turned around, confusion written all over her face. "What?"

Obviously, she didn't think that he had heard her comment to the Hokage, so he thought he would let her know he had. "You informed Tsunade that 'they' had no manners. I assume you were not talking about me."

She stared at him, clearly embarrassed and slightly perplexed that he needed to address the issue with her. He didn't really need to, but a part of him wanted to make sure that she did not think less of him because of his behavior towards her idol.

Out of nervousness, or actual humor, she laughed at him. "Geez, Neji, I didn't think you would be so insulted."

She was avoiding his question that he avoided asking for the sake of his pride. So, instead of shrugging it off or asking her directly, he turned his back on her and began walking away. It usually worked on her.

And it didn't fail him now. "Wait, Neji!" He stopped, but did not face her as he waited for her to speak again. "I wasn't referring to you. I mean, Naruto basically insulted her in every way possible."

There it was. He chuckled at her response, his mind now at ease. "Good."

They were both quiet for a few moments, but before he could start walking again, she came up behind him and slapped him on the shoulder, a gesture she usually did with Lee, and it completely caught him off guard. When he turned to face her, she smiled playfully at him, and his breath caught in his throat.

"You're an idiot."

She left him speechless as she walked down the hall without him. He shook his head to escape his daze, then smiled at her retreating form and followed her.

-0-

They arrived at their "base" that Lee had decided on the next afternoon. It had been a curry shop that apparently he knew very well. Neji wondered why Lee would know of a curry shop out this far, but he refused to tell them at the start of their mission, and he had failed to do so even when they arrived. It seemed safe enough and its location was perfect. One could easily see the Katabami mountain range from the small house. The owner had been very kind as well, so Neji agreed with Lee's earlier nomination and they had made it their headquarters.

The dining room was soon set for their guests: Neji's team and the three citizens who had left the region to ask for help. The one worried Neji; he was the one who had tried to push them along and had actually called him out on his lack of leadership for ignoring his responsibilities. He hadn't known what the man had been talking about, but he had allowed him time to vent his anger before his civilian partners had intervened. Why he had been so anxious to get back he hadn't a clue, although he mentioned some person named Kampachi somewhere along the way. He let it slide. His team was deployed to chase out the Kurosuki family and establish peace and he would not allow this man to endanger his team for personal reasons.

As Sancho prepared their dinner, they each sat themselves at the table. Lee began to reminisce about how the curry had saved his life. Naruto seemed hesitant to believe that a spicy dish could really rejuvenate him, but Lee continued on. Neji groaned in response; these wild and extreme tales were a part of Team Gai lifestyle. He had hoped that since Gai was not able to accompany them, Lee would have been more bearable. His guess had been wrong.

After Lee's story concluded, the older woman placed a heaping spoonful of curry on each of their plates. Lee's eyes widened in excitement, but Neji simply stared at his plate in horror. He did not like spicy foods, but he also did not want to seem rude when their host was already doing so much for them on short notice. He swallowed the lump of dread in his throat as Lee clapped his hands together in gratitude.

All eyes were on Lee, and Neji could practically hear his own heartbeat in the silence. He desperately tried to calm his pounding heart, but he took some relief in knowing that Lee was the center of attention for now. Neji thought that it was possible Lee was over exaggerating his description of the curry, or that maybe Lee's tolerance for spice was less than his own. But Lee's face began to turn a light shade of pink and grew darker the more he chewed on his food, sweat literally dripping off his face. His eyes bulged open and he loudly declared that this curry was the best thing he had ever eaten.

Neji began to panic. Now that Lee was feeding his stomach rapidly, everyone's attention was back to the matter at hand: the curry. He continued to toss over ideas in his mind for a quick escape; he was sick, he wasn't hungry, he forgot something in his bag, _anything_ to excuse himself from the table. He knew that if he took a bite of this -_death_- that he was done for.

He caught a small smirk on Tenten's face, and she turned her head slightly to show it to him. He knew what that look meant: she was waiting to see if he would accept the challenge before him or back down like a coward. She knew all too well his detest for spicy food. He made up his mind then, that he would not give her the satisfaction of watching him hide from a plate of curry. He quickly followed her lead, grabbed his spoon, and before he lost his nerve, he shoved the heap into his mouth.

He immediately regretted it. The reaction was instantaneous. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. His muscles constricted so tightly that he couldn't even move. The intensity of the heat had caused his heart to race. His stress level reached a high enough point that his Byakugan activated on impulse, something his body did only as a last resort. He could have sworn he was dying. He tried to inhale, but it was as if the air had been burned by the heat emanating from his mouth. The lack of oxygen to his brain began to blur his already distorted vision. He silently prayed to any deity for help, to any spirit to save him from burning alive.

It was only moments later that he felt a cool sensation on his tongue and it was enough to snap him out of his state. He soon realized that the coolness had been water, and his hand snapped up as a reflex to grab the glass that had magically appeared before him.

But his hand did not grab the glass as he had been expecting. It dawned on him that someone else had handed him his glass. He calculated that because of the angle at which the hand was retracted, it had to have been Tenten. And it had surprised him. Yes, she seemed the only logical candidate, knowing that she was sitting beside him and Lee was too busy chowing down to probably even notice his troubled teammate sitting across from him.

It was just that her hand had felt so…soft. Even if he had only touched her hand for a split second and on complete accident, his heart yearned for the chance to do so again. He dismissed the thought quickly; she was his friend. He did not need to be thinking about the need to relive the moment, though longer this time, when she had only been trying to help.

He quickly downed his water, his attention now trying to focus on Lee's vibrant shouts. He wanted to save someone; he couldn't make out a name. In his state of mind, he didn't even care. He would have agreed to anything, only as long as he didn't have to endure another round of curry.

Even though, he would have done it all over again just to be able to feel Tenten's hand under his once more.

-0-

They were forced to hide from their attacker and it infuriated Neji to no end. The enemy had the capability to overpower his Byakugan, a feat he didn't even know was possible. And because he was not able to detect the enemy's chakra network, they had nearly been crushed by the cliff when it collapsed after a lightning attack he had been unfamiliar with. Thankfully, they all had quick reflexes and had been able to evade the fallen rocks.

But that left him still unable to find their enemy. He knew it was more than the mist clouding his vision. Something else was preventing him from finding their enemy. He tried to think rationally, to come up with a plan of attack. He decided that the hiding ninja was possibly still on the cliff high above them, that it was possible they were far enough away for him to attempt to use his Byakugan and locate them.

That's exactly what he did. He scanned the area and discovered seven chakra networks. He informed his team of his findings and directed them to where they were located. Tenten set off after the three by a boulder; Lee went after the two closest to the cliff; Naruto claimed a lone ninja by a separate boulder; he took the last.

He pulled out a kunai and lashed out at his enemy, but his blade was met with a _thud_, not the _clang_ of metal he had been expecting. His confusion only escalated when the body transformed into the shape of a tree, the chakra network vanishing in the process. It explained the noise, but it did not explain the now missing chakra.

Neji scanned the rest of the group. Tenten made contact with her weapons, but the sound was not one of metal slicing flesh, but rock. Naruto hit his opponent dead on with his _Uzumaki Rendan_, but did not make contact with any ninja. Lee's enemies attacked and he countered with his _Konoha Senpuu_. But just as with Naruto, he did not hit anyone, and ended up falling off the cliff as a result.

He could not understand what was happening. He saw them, the chakra networks, but his teammates now knew no one was there. His biggest concern was that they were now caught in a genjutsu, and he had only helped to expose and separate them by sending them after illusions. He needed to regroup his unit quickly before any more damage could have been done.

But he was too late. Seconds after realization dawned on him, a lightning bolt crashed down on each of them, sending them all flying into unconsciousness.

-0-

Someone was calling to him, but his body refused to move; his eyes refused to open. He needed to snap out of his daze. His team was defenseless, and he already assumed the enemy was upon them, ready to kill them. The lightning had come fast and hard, its effects still tingling his nerves. He could hear shuffling footsteps. Someone was fighting off their intruder.

Neji's heart stopped. What if it was Tenten, and she was all by herself? What if she was losing and needed his help? That fear was the jumpstart his body needed. He rolled over on to his stomach, opening his eyes to figure out what was going on. Once his vision cleared, he discovered Lee had been engaging the enemy. He relaxed even more when he noticed Lee was actually holding his own. But…was he still asleep?

He blinked a few times, then confirmed that Lee was still unconscious. How was he fighting so well when he did not even know his enemy, let alone while fighting with a handicap? But this was Lee and he knew he shouldn't be surprised. He would be fine.

His eyes sought out Tenten, but he couldn't find her in the damn mist. He knew better than to activate his kekkei genkai, but he had to know if she was okay. He took a step forward as Lee kicked their enemy's back, but when a large bag was ripped off, he became interested in what the thing was. It landed in front of him and as curious as he was, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

His worries quickly faded when she ran up next to him, seemingly unhurt. He exhaled a breath he didn't even realized he had been holding.

"Neji!" She stepped beside him, and a part of him wanted to reach out and touch her, just to be sure that she wasn't another illusion. As much as he wanted to, he did not, and focused his attention on the object Lee knocked off the one called "Raiga's" back.

She studied the bag intently as well. "What do you suppose is inside?"

He couldn't be sure, but he had a guess. It had to have been the reason he could not use his Byakugan in this mist. Tenten leaned forward to open it, but he held out an arm to stop her. They didn't know what was inside, and he wasn't going to run the risk of releasing something they knew nothing about.

He activated his Byakugan quietly to identify that a small child was trapped inside. "There's someone in there," he added, not sure how to take his findings. He knew that a person was the best guess, but still. He hadn't actually expected it. He really didn't know what he was expecting.

The child must have realized he was not alone, because he activated some sort of jutsu in his defense. He came to find out that he was the reason Neji could not see chakra in the mist; this kid countered his kekkei genkai. Seconds later, a new form appeared in front of them, and Neji realized that along with being able to block his vision, he had the ability to _create_ chakra networks. So that was how the duo worked. Well, it was time Naruto knew, seeing that he was not doing so well after he took over for Lee.

"Naruto, his eyes are over here now. Use your _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_."

His statement seemed to anger Raiga, but Naruto did as commanded and his shadow clones went to work. Raiga's lightning attacks were growing weaker by the second and his mist jutsu was clearing up. He realized it, though, and knew he had to retreat. Naruto's clones continued to run up the mountain after him, even after he caused an avalanche of rocks to wipe out half of his clone army.

Neji decided that they had to pursue after him before he got away. He looked over at Tenten, who seemed to be thinking the same thing was. But he stopped her. "You stay here and watch over him," he said, pointing to the bag. "And him," he added, tilting his head over to where Lee had just recently got back on his feet.

She was hesitant to comply, but she nodded anyway. He didn't even manage to take one step before the child inside the bag screamed.

"Stop!"

Neji looked up past the cloud of dust and lingering mist and watched as Naruto used his Rasengan to send Raiga soaring through the sky and crashing into the side of the nearby mountain. The impact was enough to shatter the formation and boulders crashed on top of his body. Neji presumed him dead, but he knew better than to assume. He would check as soon as their business was wrapped up here.

Naruto and Lee walked over to where they stood, Naruto leaning down to examine the bag. "You said his eyes were over here? Hmm…" he paused, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Those are some pretty big eyeballs."

-0-

They returned to the village carefully after confining the boy Ranmaru to an isolated shed. Neji hadn't wanted to act so cruel to the child, but they knew nothing about him, besides the fact that his jutsu had topped his own. They couldn't trust him yet, but he kept him alive, against the boy's wishes. When all the Kurosuki members were gone or dealt with, they would return for him.

Lee reached the end of the mountaintop first and peered out through the valley. "Look! The villagers have come out to welcome us!"

"Well, it appears everyone is okay," Tenten added. She sounded cautious, and she was right to be worried. Raiga had been defeated only moments ago. He didn't think the news traveled fast enough. And if it did, he highly doubted the gang would simply run off due their lack of leadership.

"Looks like the Kurosuki family is long gone!" Naruto shouted. How did Neji know he would think along those lines? "Probably took off like a bunch of chickens when they realized how strong we were!"

Neji wanted that to be the case, but his heightened senses told him to be on his guard. He did a quick look around the area and managed to catch a few rouge men hiding behind a few rocks. It seemed like their enemy wasn't as afraid of them as Naruto thought. Regardless, he stopped them before Naruto and Lee got too far ahead and relayed the new strategy.

"Wait. The enemy is waiting for us. But I have a plan."

All four watched in delight as their newly made clones ran down the mountain towards the village. Lee frowned when he noticed Karashi, the teen he had motivated on his first trip to the curry shop and spared only hours before, lifted his arm to begin the attack.

Naruto laughed into his hands. "Haha, they think that's us."

Neji growled. That was the point. Why did he think it was so funny? "We need to make another round of clones," he explained. They did what he asked (except for Lee. Neji created his clones for him) and while their enemies attempted to retrieve their "bodies" from the rubble, their new clones landed on top of the rocks, catching them all by surprise once again.

"More?" Naruto asked once the enemy began chasing after their second copies. Neji watched the scene intently, reading the enemies attacks and looking for weaknesses. The idea of stacking themselves on top of each other and spinning to cause a vortex had been clever, but they had already been outdone.

"No," he finally responded to Naruto's question. "Now, we fight."

Once their second round of clones had been defeated, they took advantage of the slightly worn out group of ninjas and brought the fight to them.

"We saw right through your ambush," he exclaimed, the enemy once again caught off guard. He had to admit, as he watched Tenten and Lee break apart the tornado of ninjas, that he didn't think it would have been so easy to fool them. The first time, yes, but the second time? It had gone smoother than he thought. Raiga had truly been the brain and brawn of the group. These guys were nothing but pawns.

He activated his Byakugan as a few of the disbanded ninjas that Tenten and Lee missed charged at him. He slid his left foot out, leaning forward in preparation for his _Hakke Rokujuyon_. As the enemy drew closer, he lashed out, striking the chakra points of each person who dared enter his range. Seconds later, he ended his assault and nodded his content with Tenten and Lee.

No one seemed to even have a scratch on them. Maybe a smudge of dirt, but nothing more. As he was about to congratulate them on a job well done, Naruto screamed from above him as he came crashing down on the ground, apparently thinking he was still fighting. He wanted to praise his team even more because when Naruto went into some rant about not being able to use his new jutsu, they looked away in frustration.

Even Lee.

-0-

The next morning seemed very peaceful to Neji. His body naturally woke up as the sun would have been making an accent into the sky, but he didn't have the urge to get up. It was a nice feeling; no training planned, no dealings with his family. He didn't have to deal with anything, and for one day, he just wanted to enjoy just lying around.

Their mission was complete, and no one had been hurt. Raiga was dead; he had confirmed that with his Byakugan before they returned to the shop. He didn't like Ranmaru's smile that had followed his statement, but he let it slide. Perhaps he had been happy to start a free life without killing people. Regardless, it was over, and they would be leaving later that afternoon.

After a few minutes, he finally rolled out of bed. As he looked around the room he had been sharing with Lee and Naruto, he realized that his green-clad companion was missing. He probably didn't want to make the same excuse Neji had to miss out on training. Which had been fine with him; the lack of his loud snoring allowed him the peace to sleep in.

But he noticed Naruto missing as well. It made Neji wonder exactly how late in the morning it was. It couldn't have been _that_ late. The sun was just rising, the light not being strong enough to even illuminate the room very well. He could have been wrong, though, seeing as he was not pulled out of his post-rem sleep early by the deafening snores of either ninja.

He decided to make his way down the stairs to check on his team. Tenten and Naruto, as well as Ranmaru, were sitting at the table, plates in front of them cleared from their meal. Naruto was chattering about how he wanted the recipe for the "Curry of Life" to bring back to Konoha, and how he felt more rejuvenated every time he ate it.

Ranmaru sat quietly, his eyes staring out the window. It didn't appear he was hungry; his dish sat nearly untouched in front of him. The kid must have been. Neji had not seen him eat once since they found him the day before. To top it off, he was in failing health. It worried Neji, but he was not going to force the child to eat if he did not want to.

Tenten turned to him as he came out of the hallway. "Well, good morning! You slept in late today!" Naruto laughed as Neji took a seat in front of them. Was it really that late?

"Well, that's quite alright," the older woman added from the kitchen. "I still have some breakfast left over."

He asked the question he had been wondering to himself since he got up. "What time is it?" Tenten and Naruto fell quiet as they glanced at each other, then burst into laughter. He didn't know what had been so funny about his question, but he felt slightly embarrassed. It had to have been later than he thought. But so what? He couldn't even count on all ten fingers the times Tenten had been late to training because _she_ had overslept!

Before he could respond with a retort, Lee came rushing into the room. He must have been running laps, doing push-ups, something; exertion lined his features. "Whew," he said, wiping a hand over his sweaty face. "That was a good work-out! Right, Karashi-san?"

As much as Neji despised the teen Lee befriended, he couldn't help but feel bad for him. Having to suffer with Lee as a sensei figure must have been grueling, especially if he had not trained on that level before. Karashi soon entered the room as well, walking like he was facing death itself. But, as Lee had told the townspeople the day before, he would take the strayed boy and show him the correct path. His actual words had been, "He will see the youthful side of hard work and honor. And before I leave, he will shed a tear for his corrupt ways, and he will be the light of passion this youthful town needs!"

That "light of passion" was looking dim, and Neji did not want to extend their mission for Lee to fulfill his own agenda. "You do realize that we need to be heading back soon."

Lee turned his attention to him and Neji read the look in his eyes and frowned. "Oh! Good morning, Neji! I thought you were still sleeping!"

Laughter filled the room again, except from Karashi; he was too busy struggling to breathe. Neji, however, wanted to strangle those who _were_ breathing.

"It doesn't matter," he said angrily, crossing his arms and looking away from them. "It's not like either of _you_ sleep in."

"Come on, Neji, we're just kidding. Calm down," Tenten replied, her laughter growing softer.

"I never sleep in!" Lee shouted. "It's too unyouthful!" He then went on to tell them his daily routine, one that he and Tenten already knew, and Naruto didn't seem inclined to care. Karashi's eyes grew wide in fear as he slid down the post he was supporting himself on.

"Please…I…I need…a break!"

There was a faint sound of thunder in the distance, but enough to grab Neji's attention. He turned to look out the window, Lee poking his head out the door. So, _that's_ why he slept in so late. It was cloudy! Whatever. He was allowed one time in his life to do something unpredictable.

Lee confirmed his earlier thoughts. "Hmm, looks like there's a storm coming!"

The old lady peered out beside him. "Oh, goodness me. We do get some bad weather in these parts."

Naruto jumped to his feet. "We will help you! Well, with whatever we can help you with anyway!"

So much for leaving that afternoon. Neji felt three sets of eyes on his back. Their mission was technically over, but he was still team leader. He sighed, then followed Lee out of the restaurant to investigate the oncoming storm. He was no weather expert, but the clouds in the distance did look ominous. The small shack had seen better days, but if Sancho was speaking the truth, bad weather happened often. He doubted anything could really be done to help that hadn't already been thought up, but Lee and Naruto would not allow that to be an acceptable answer.

"Alright, we will do what we can." The elder thanked him kindly, and then she followed behind Tenten as they met outside the shop.

"Karashi!" Lee called, another round of thunder echoing through the mountains. "Come help us!"

The boy slid to the doorway and poked his head out, still lying on the floor. "I…I can't even move! I…I need a break!"

"It'll be fine," Naruto said as he shrugged his shoulders. "We can do it without him."

Tenten agreed. "Yeah, he'd be more of a hindrance in his state anyway."

Lee frowned at their comments, but accepted it and began looking around. "So, Neji, what do you want us to do?"

They were lacking in the time department, so he really had no idea. They could cut down some trees and help support the building if the winds were intense, or they could use them to create a stronger roof in case of heavy rain. Once again, his lack of knowledge in the field rendered him clueless as to the best approach.

Thankfully, Naruto shouted his idea first. "Let's cut down some trees and make a storm shelter!"

Lee shook his head. "No, we would run out of time. Let us simply use the trees to support the shop! That way, the weather will not damage it!"

The trio looked to him for approval and he nodded his head. It would give Lee and Naruto something to do. Tenten summoned a few weapons to help while Sancho retrieved some of her own from inside the shop. Lee decided to make a game of it; to see who could cut down the most trees with the least amount of work. He lost Neji and Tenten with that proposal, but Lee did not seemed to notice as he got right to work.

As the time passed, Naruto managed to saw his way through a tree, while Lee was cutting down his third. The two bickered like children back and forth; Naruto calling him a cheater and Lee calling him "unyouthful" and "not passionate enough". Neji sighed; if he would have known this would end up the result, he would have simply apologized to Sancho for not being able to help, and left.

"Oh, I wish my son was as lively as you two boys," the older lady said sadly. And something suddenly felt off. It had been an hour, give or take a few minutes, since Neji's judge of time seemed to be off, that they had left Karashi and Ranmaru in the shop. His mind began to race. They were both considered enemies in his book, even though they both did not seem dangerous. Karashi was weak, even more so now thanks to Lee's training for the day, and Ranmaru was physically ill. But they both had served under Raiga, and a feeling of concern erupted in his heart. What if they were not done plotting against them?

While Lee and Naruto continued to try and best each other, he turned to the girl standing next to him. "Tenten. I'm concerned about Karashi and Ranmaru. Go check up on them." She seemed surprised at his request, but if she had an opposition, she didn't voice it. All he wanted her to do was to see if they were up to anything, then return.

But after what felt like hours to him waiting for her to come back, he began to wonder if he had sent her into a trap.

-0-

The cold, wet droplets pulled Neji out of his train of thought. The storm had finally reached them. They had managed to build a stronger support system for the curry shop in half an hour. Sancho had been pleased and extremely grateful for their help.

But Neji's mind was somewhere else.

Tenten had not come back. And there had been no movement inside the house. He even activated his Byakugan to make sure, but had found no one. What if they had kidnapped her and she had needed back-up? What if she followed them somewhere and encountered another ambush, and had gotten herself killed? His heart raced at the thought, but his mind rationalized his concern; she was strong and smart. Surely something was up with Karashi and Ranmaru and she had gone to investigate. If she would have thought it would have been too dangerous, she would have returned to tell them so.

As the rain fell harder from the sky, a bolt of lightning struck the gold mine, a fact that did nothing to ease his troubled mind. It was where Raiga had been buried. And he specialized in harnessing lightning. What if he really _was _alive? Maybe that was where Karashi and Ranmaru had disappeared to, and it could have been where Tenten was!

"Thank you so much!" Sancho said happily, causing him to snap back to the present. "You have done so much work for me. I feel like such a bother!"

Lee held his hand up. "No ma'am, you did not trouble us at all. It was our pleasure!" Naruto even gave her a thumbs up and a smile, scarily similar to Lee's "Good Guy" pose, in response.

Just as they were about to head inside to escape the rain, a voice called out from behind them. A male voice. Not Tenten's. His heart began to pound in his chest painfully as Karashi approached them, screaming at them to get their attention.

Something had happened. Something bad. And Tenten was not with him.

Ranmaru wasn't with him, either. But he did not care about his well-being at the moment. He wanted to know what happened to Tenten! Karashi put his hands on his mother's shoulders, trying to catch his breath. He pointed towards the area where the lightning struck moments ago, fear causing his finger to shake.

"Oh, mother, it was horrible!" He even stuttered, making Neji's heart beat faster. He knew something happened to her, he just _knew_ it! Karashi needed to hurry up and tell them where he had last seen her, because once he did, he was gone.

Sancho tried to calm him down. "Goodness, what happened?! What's wrong?"

"It…it's Tenten!"

Neji went into full panic mode. As much as he anticipated it, he was hoping it wouldn't be true. But Karashi had said it. His hands tightened into fists, his fingernails digging into his flesh. His blood pounded in his ears, loud enough to drain out Lee and Naruto's gasp next him. He could have sworn his heart was going to jump out of his chest. His breathing became labored, but the worst part was that sinking feeling in his stomach. It was even enough to cause him to stumble backwards a few inches.

His fear quickly escalated to anger. He wanted to Jyuuken the boy over and over again for the simple reason of dragging her into this. He wanted to grab him by his damn ponytail and slam him against the reinforced curry shop and close off every last chakra point until he couldn't breathe!

And he was about to, until he explained the situation. "Tenten asked me to train with her, since Lee was busy. And…and we were running up the mountain when…when a bolt of lightning struck a tree, and it came crashing towards us!" He gripped his mother's shoulders in shame. "And then she fell…she fell off the cliff! Kami, what if she's dead?"

Neji replayed the scene over in his head. Tenten asked _him _to train? Please, if she had the urge to train, she would have asked him. Then, she wanted to _run? _That was her _least_ favorite thing to do as a form of exercise! She would have rather used Karashi for target practice. Next, a lightning bolt knocking over a tree, sending her plummeting to her death? No, Neji knew he was lying.

And that infuriated him even more. He _knew_ something happened to her and now he was _lying_ about it! She most likely had followed them to the mountains, and somewhere along the way Raiga had been resurrected, however that could have been possible. It explained Ranmaru's disappearance as well. If that were the case, she had more than likely encountered him, which scared him to no end. Yes, he was confident in her abilities, but this was similar to her fight with Temari. Metal was never going to trump lightning. She had a few alternatives in her arsenal, but he did not think that would have been enough.

Assuming he was correct, they had a start as to where to look for her. "Come on, Neji! Tenten needs our help!"

He wanted to Jyuuken Lee. Did he really believe that Tenten would have been taken down by a tree? He did not respond to his demand, but continued to scowl at the teenager he was going to kill when he made sure Tenten was okay.

His glare seemed to terrify Karashi. _Good, because when I come back, you'll be wishing you never met me._"I…uh…I'm gonna grab the…uh…first aid kit. I'll be right behind you!"

He knew better, but he did not have time to deal with him now. Tenten could very well be in danger, or worse. "Very well." He called to his other two companions, and before they replied, he turned on his heel and took off towards the Katabami Gold Mine.

He just hoped she could stand her ground until he got there.

-0-

Neji was only sensitive to a few things in life: his father, which included his past, his curse mark, and, depending on certain factors, his team.

Oh, and the extreme burning sensation from being forced his _second _round of curry in an hour.

The second the slop touched his already injured taste buds, it was like an eruption went off in his brain. The fire spread quickly and powerfully, his body twitching, as if the nerves were trying to flee the inferno inside him. The oxygen in his lungs burned up instantly, and as hard as he tried to force air into his body, it was a futile effort. His hands clawed at his throat, hoping the flame would escape through his markings.

But the heat only intensified and he was once again rendered unconscious.

He didn't know how long he was out before a sharp pain on his cheek forced him back to consciousness. The fire within him had died down drastically, to the point where he could actually lift a hand to his injured face on his own. He managed to open his eyes, a groan escaping his lips as he tried to push aside the pain in his head and clear his vision.

"Neji? Are you okay?"

_Tenten!_ It was all he needed for his mind to regain its senses, and he shot up quickly. A little too quickly, but his pounding headache didn't matter to him. Tenten was alive!

Or he was dead.

Karashi's presence next to her confirmed that he was not. And in an instant, his relief was replaced with murderous intent. He threw his hands around the boy's shoulders and pushed him into the ground.

"I'm going to kill you!" He didn't usually act like this, but he had a long day, and someone needed to pay for it. And who better than then one who caused it?

"Neji, stop!" Before he could strike his chakra-infused palm into the teen's chest, Tenten grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?!"

_I'm killing him!_ He turned to glare at her, to tell her to release him so he could end his life. But he stopped when he realized the look in her eyes.

She was _scared_ of him. She had even dropped his arm instantly in fright. He had gotten carried away, let his anger take control, and he suddenly regretted it. He had not meant to scare her. But, damn it, she had him worrying all day long. He had been scared, too.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, hoping that she heard him. He looked away from her, ashamed of his actions. Karashi's irregular breathing was all he could hear. He wanted to tell her how afraid he was, that he thought that he would never see her again. That he thought he had sent her into her death. But how was he supposed to tell her that? He was Neji Hyuuga, one of few words and even fewer emotions.

Karashi sat up, his breathing even again, and lowered his head. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I deserve it."

Well, at least he knew that. The confession caused his anger began to boil in his blood again, but Tenten's voice snapped him out of it. "What happened, exactly?"

He told her about his lie to get them to face off against Raiga, right down the details of her involvement in the story. He muttered another apology, and Neji was tempted to attack again.

But Tenten did. She took the empty plate she still held in her hands and smashed it on the back of his head. He stared in awe as the boy fell unconscious, fragments of ceramic scattered over his body.

"Idiot," was all she said. He thought that maybe now she could see why he had been so angry with the boy earlier. Well, she must have if she lashed out like that. She usually pulled the stunt on Lee with her hand when she was fed up with him, but he had been rather pleased it had been a plate. He would have rather used _his_ hand, but, well…he got similar results.

"Let's go find Naruto and Lee," she added, pulling herself to her feet and brushing dirt and ceramic off of her pants. "They might need our help. We'll come back for him when we are done."

He nodded his agreement, even though he really wanted to _not_ come back for Karashi. Let the fool really fall down the cliff after being hit by a tree. Maybe then he would learn not to cross a Hyuuga, namely Neji.

She held out her hand to help him up and his hatred towards Karashi vanished. His mind immediately recalled the moment he touched her hand only days before. And how he wanted another chance to hold her hand in his again. He smiled, then reached out to accept her offer.

When she pulled him up to his feet, he was literally inches away from her face. For a split second, he stopped breathing. His gaze locked with hers and he was held captive. The world could have been exploding behind him, but he wouldn't have even known. He wouldn't have cared, either.

But, he was Neji Hyuuga and he could not fall victim to a feeling he didn't even understand. He broke eye contact with her and focused all his efforts into calming his pounding heart.

She grinned at him. "Come on. Let's go."

She did not get very far, as he realized he had not let go of her hand. In fact, when she turned to walk away, his grip tightened around hers. It had been a reflex reaction; one his mind hadn't thought about but his body did on its own. He didn't understand why, either. Perhaps he needed an extremely long vacation when he returned to Konoha. This mission had been altering his personality in ways he didn't know were good or bad and brought out emotions he hadn't been able to recognize. Yes. A nice break would be a great way to figure things out.

"Uh, Neji?"

Her voice brought him out of his thoughts and back on her. Once again, his body reacted without consent of his mind. He slowly put his arms around her shoulder and pulled her into his body, the unexpected action causing her muscles to tense. But as he held her tighter, she relaxed, and eventually returned the hug.

She needed a reason for his need to hold her, so he decided she deserved to know. "I thought I lost you," he finally blurted, his arms never loosening their grip on her. She must have thought something was funny, because she gave off a soft chuckle into his shoulder.

He finally dropped his arms, his message hopefully expressed. He confirmed it when she caught his gaze and smiled.

"You never will."

* * *

I realize Neji probably overreacted and was extremely OOC with Karashi at the end, but he endured three rounds of curry, was outmatched by Ranmaru's kekkei genkai, got struck by lightning, and then nearly lost the girl (I am praying) he loves. It seemed like he had a right to react in a manner, so I let him.

Anyway, the next couple chapters I'm hoping will be more of a reflection on Neji's "strange" feelings. Sadly, I had to split up the next chapter in to two parts, and I do not have the second one done yet. Meaning, it might be a week or so before the next one is up. But seeing Thanksgiving break will allow me free time from work and school, I might get it up sooner.

Thanks again for reading and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.


	5. Chapter 5

**::A/N:: **I have returned! Sorry to keep quiet for so long. I bought Tales of Vesperia to increase my Tales collection, and that took me a lot longer to beat than I thought. In case no one has ever played a Tales game, you really don't know what you're missing. By far BEST games ever! And then I had mountains of homework as a result...boo...

Anyway, I kind of read through this really quick, so I apologize if it's not the best. I had to divide this part up in to two separate chapters. I took more time in these to try and write about Neji's conflicting emotions and his lack of understanding them more than I wrote about the scenes in the episodes. I did, however, love this mission, but I more focused on a few highlights. I could very well be reading way too into this, or completely the wrong way, but hey, the author has not said otherwise.

Thanks again to all of you for sticking with me, and I hope not to lose you now! You guys are the best!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would write on my calender the day it would end. (Which I honestly think the day will never come...)

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Five_

Neji thought he was going to kill Lee before he returned to the safety of Konoha. They had just finished their mission and he was _dying_ to get some free time away from the Green Beast. The entire mission had been a game to Lee, and he actually tried making friends with the enemy, telling them that they had the passion for youth! Thankfully, the enemy ninja freaked out, and they had posed little problems for them.

But if he had to hear one more word about "youth" or "Gai-Sensei" or "youthful passion," he was going to murder him.

His head was pounding, but relief came quickly when the gates to the village appeared in the distance. Lee grew anxious as well, but for completely different reasons. He had to tell Gai Sensei about his success. _Their_ success. And Lee was beyond thrilled to tell their sensei all about the bonding time they supposedly shared.

Lee took off for the gate, too eager to walk his pace, which was perfectly fine with him. He could have a few moments of peace before he was bound to run into someone who would annoy him again. Possibly Naruto, or Gai, or even another run-in with Lee. He really just wanted to lie down and hope that he did not have to endure another mission with Lee alone again.

His peaceful few moments lasted until he turned a corner to report his success to the Hokage. As soon as he was walking on the new road, he nearly collided with Naruto, who wasn't even paying attention to where he was walking. Instead, he seemed to have been more focused on the girl next to him. _Tenten._ His calm demeanor was instantly replaced with fury, and as much as he tried to keep his anger in check, he couldn't keep it out of his voice.

"Where the hell are you going?"

They both stopped their conversation, their eyes wide in surprise. He met their looks with one of venom, but he clenched his fists tightly to stop him from doing anything rash.

Naruto was the first to speak up, a huge grin on his face like nothing was wrong. "Oh, hey, Neji! We were waiting for you! We have ourselves a new mission! Me, you, and Tenten!"

His glare only hardened. "I have a mission to report."

The orange-clad ninja interjected. "Come on! I already know what we are doing, and my friend Chishima is waiting for us at the gate! Grandma Tsunade can wait. We gotta go now!"

But Neji would not have it. He was already frustrated with Lee, and now he was furious with Naruto. And for some strange reason, he felt even _angrier_ with Tenten! Why had she been walking around with Naruto?! What all had they been talking about, and how long had they been together? He pushed past them easily, never once turning around, even as Naruto yelled after him.

He managed to enter Tsunade's office with a somewhat clear mind, but a look of irritation must have still been written on his face. His leader eyed him curiously as he ended his report.

"I assume Naruto found you."

_Oh, I found him, alright._ He knew that was not what she meant, but he did not want to talk about it. He had already held back his disgust when he explained his mission. He would not be forced to do so again.

"I don't like the idea of sending you guys on this wild goose chase, but, well, blame Naruto for that," she added in his silence. Wild goose chase? What was that supposed to mean? He decided that he was better off learning of his newest assignment from Tsunade.

"I'm afraid I do not know the extent of our mission."

Tsunade informed him of the request made by a man from the Land of Birds to investigate a rumor about a "Cursed Warrior." They were to discover its motives and apprehend anyone involved to put the small country at ease. Neji simply stared back at Tsunade in utter confusion. Why was he being sent on this mission?

"I know you're wondering why we even bothered to send out a team, but the man begged for us to take this, and it will get Naruto out of my hair for a while."

_Yes, and into mine!_ He mentally shouted. He politely bowed and walked outside, having heard enough for him to get a decent grasp on his duty. He left the tower, taking deep breaths to calm his erratic heartbeat. His muscles in his arms and hands burned in exertion from clenching his fists too tightly. He needed to release his pent up frustration, and he needed to it quickly.

As he began walking towards the Hyuuga estate to prepare to leave, Lee happened to be heading in the opposite direction. His teammate approached him, waving at him like a fool, and Neji felt like someone had been watching over him.

He slammed his fist into Lee's stomach, and before the injured boy could ask what he did wrong, Neji walked away.

He only wished he could do the same to Naruto.

-0-

He met Naruto and Tenten outside the gate once his preparations were complete and they set off towards their destination. And he did not say a word to either of them. He even avoided eye contact. Naruto's friend, Chishima, tried to make small talk with him, but he remained quiet and even refused to introduce himself to the man. If he had been offended by his rudeness, he didn't show it. He simply turned to the other two and began talking with them.

It was going to be a long journey, and one he fully intended to make in silence. He needed to come to a conclusion as to why he had been so emotionally unstable lately. Hell, he had nearly knocked Lee unconscious moments before they departed. His rational side reminded him that he deserved it after their previous mission, but another side of him told him differently. He had not been angry with Lee at the time. Sure, he helped start Neji's plummet into fury, but he realized Lee had not been his snapping point.

It had been Naruto. To be more precise, it had been the moment he turned that corner and saw him with Tenten.

He thought of other times he lost his emotions and to this point in time, had no idea why. The most recent being when he wanted to kill Karashi, the teenager who had nearly gotten them all killed on their mission to the Katabami Gold Mine. He still seethed just thinking about it; how the damn kid lied to him, trying to convince him that Tenten fell off a cliff because of a tree. He had every intention of killing him before they left, but she had stopped him.

The next case he thought of dealt with Naruto. How he remembered him standing next to Tenten at a bank of a river, trying to convince her that she didn't need any new weapons to fight on the front lines with Neji and Lee. He had been angry at the time, yes, but more so when she actually began training, _with Lee_, on how to improve her taijutsu with her arsenal. She hadn't been as proficient as she would have hoped, but at least once a week she was sparing with Lee, hoping to come up with a new technique.

Then, there had been the time during Orochimaru's ambush at the Chuunin Exams, when Kiba, Tenten, and himself took off after Hinata. She stayed behind to fight the enemy's mud trap while the two boys continued on. After they regrouped and Hinata was safe, Kiba had congratulated Tenten for a job well done. The part he had vividly recalled was when he threw an arm over her shoulder as if they were best friends, then laughing at her nervous reaction.

It hit him, and it hit him hard, almost hard enough to stop him in his tracks. Every single time, someone had upstaged him in Tenten's life. When her attention had been elsewhere, he realized that he had been extremely upset. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew the feeling.

He was _jealous!_

He kept pushing forward, trying to force his mind to think about something else. But every time he tried, he ended up back at the same spot. When Naruto and Kiba had complimented her; when Lee caught her back at the preliminary rounds of the Chuunin exams; things that _he_ had wanted to do, was supposed to do, but they had all beat him to the punch.

It was all coming together, but he would not admit it, he didn't _want_ to admit it was anything more than friendship. People always said that jealousy was the first sign of a deeper feeling, but he could not allow that. First of all, they were teammates. He had never understood the purpose of forming a relationship with a fellow team member. It would damage the unity of the team and could very well endanger the unit, as well as the mission.

Second, he didn't even understand his emotions. He was only able to locate their source. He could have been over thinking his state of mind. He was scared of his feelings only because he had no idea what they were trying to tell him. He cared for her safety, but had someone else been in a similar situation, perhaps Lee or his family, namely Hiashi or Hinata, couldn't he have acted the same?

"Hey, uh, Neji?"

He paused, but did not turn to face Naruto, who seemed to realize he was listening when he stopped. "Can we take a little break? Chishima is kinda tired."

Neji suddenly noticed how dark it was becoming. How long had they even been walking? Was he really that zoned out and lost track of that much time? He really needed to figure out his emotional side quickly, or everyone was going to think he was going crazy.

He did not respond to Naruto's request. He lifted his eyes to the sky above, trying to read exactly how late in the day it was. He assumed it had to have been around six, give or take an hour. The grumbling of Chishima's stomach indicated that his time frame couldn't have been too far off.

"Thank you, Naruto. All this walking has made me hungry," the young man said. Neji decided that it was a good time to call it a night; they were still within the border of Fire Country, and an ambush from enemy ninja did not seem likely.

"I'm gonna go grab some food! Maybe there is a river nearby!"

Naruto must have truly been an idiot, or suffered from short-term memory loss. Even Neji knew that they had passed at least one stream, perhaps two on their trek. But he couldn't even get out a smart remark before the hyper ninja disappeared in search for food.

Chishima followed, but stayed with Neji's view. He suddenly became aware that, for the most part, he had been left behind with Tenten. He usually thought nothing of it, but his recent internal inquiry for his strange and unpredictable behavior caused him to grow anxious. And again, he told himself not to think anything of the way his heart seemed to beat a few seconds faster; the way his thoughts became centered on her; the way his palms sweat with anticipation. He was acting like a fool, and he _hated_ it.

Inevitably, she turned to face him, a concerned look in her eyes. "Are you okay, Neji? You've been awfully quiet."

No, he was not okay. He was confused, angry, and terrified. She must have read as much in his reaction, because she took a step back and dropped her head.

"You're not mad at me, are you?"

He didn't know how to answer her question. He wasn't mad, but these mixed feelings were because of her. And he did not want her to know.

So he steeled himself, took a deep breath, and answered her. "I'm not mad."

"But, you are," she added, her eyes never leaving the ground. "You've been acting like this since you came back from your mission. Actually, more since you ran into us in town."

She was perceptive, and unfortunately, she now had him cornered. Not that she had to really try, but that was a fact he was determined to keep to himself. How had she become adept in reading him like an open book?

"I'm not mad," he reiterated, hoping she would leave the issue alone, or that Naruto, as much as he didn't want to admit, would return with something to divert her attention.

Tenten then did something unpredictable, so much that it completely caught him off guard. She turned her back on him in one swift move, and did not look back to face him when she spoke.

"Then grow up, Neji."

And then she walked away.

-0-

There was some sort of commotion when they reached the village by nightfall a few days later. They continued on with Chishima's instruction and as they approached the center of town, that was when he saw it.

The Cursed Warrior.

He did not believe the story was true. He did not believe in ghosts. And yet, as he stared at the flying mass of armor in the sky, he was absolutely flabbergasted. He had not been the only one who paused in awe at the sight before them. Naruto and Tenten could not believe their eyes either. Naruto's face paled once he realized it really _was_ the cursed warrior, thanks to Chishima's identification.

He shook his head; no, this had to have been an illusion. There were no such things as ghost. He turned to his team, his focus back on track.

"Let's go." He leaped onto a nearby rooftop and gave chase after the figure, Tenten and Naruto not far behind. They reached an open area in the forest with some sort of building or shed located at the center of the clearing. It was likely this had been its base, seeing as the area was isolated and uncharted. But they had him cornered now. They would get to the bottom of this by the end of the night.

The "ghost" disappeared into the temple, and after a few minutes of silence, he activated his Byakugan to investigate the building. But something was wrong. He did not detect the presence of a person. Meaning someone was hiding well, or the cursed warrior _was_ a ghost.

He had been so surprised at that fact that he actually spoke out loud. "There's no one inside."

Tenten and Naruto stared at him in horror, but then Naruto started to laugh. "Don't scare us like that, Neji!"

"There is no one inside; at least, not a living person."

Naruto continued to laugh, but the second his statement made sense to him, he panicked. "Oh, I don't think I want to know what that means!" he shrieked, his hands covering his face in fear.

"Quiet," Tenten said quickly, taking a step forward. "I think I hear something."

They all fell silent, their ears straining to hear any sound whatsoever. The door to the temple creaked open, and Tenten and Naruto stared at the undetected spirit in terror.

Naruto even managed to jump a few feet in the air, his voice reaching an annoying octave Neji hadn't even realized anyone could reach. "_Hello_, Neji! You said no one was in there!"

Neji looked ahead in wonder as well. Was this thing really a ghost? "I said, there was not a living being inside."

The armored whatever it was took a step forward, and he had to admit, he had no idea what to do. He was not easily scared or frightened, but he could say that he felt slightly nervous. He was at least taking it better than Tenten, who backed up a few steps, her eyes still wide in fear.

But she was handling it better than Naruto. "I don't believe in ghosts! I don't believe in ghosts. _I don't believe in ghosts!_" His entire body was shaking, sweat pouring off of his face. He made an attempt to hurl a few kunai at him, and when his attack struck the chest plate without stopping the ghost's movements, his face paled an unhealthy shade of white.

Tenten shook her head and followed Naruto's lead. She grabbed a scroll from her waist, bit her thumb, and jumped into the air, calling forth a chain wind staff and throwing it at their enemy. The chain successfully decapitated him, but as she landed behind him, he still kept moving forward.

Neji knew something was wrong. He had been beheaded, and he _still_ had enough stamina or energy or whatever he was running on, to press forward. His nervousness was getting worse, and he honestly believed the thing in front of them could have been a possessed corpse or even a ghost.

Naruto only freaked out more. "I've officially had enough of this!" He charged forward, even against Neji's command to remain still, and created multiple clones to attack with his _Uzumaki Rendan_. His leg crashed into the shoulder, cracking the armor under the impact. The enemy wiggled for a few seconds, then collapsed to the floor in a heap of chain and steel plates.

Finally, Neji's heart could slow its pace. It was over. Naruto approached the pile of metal, grabbing a gauntlet and studying it intently. However, Neji noticed Naruto's spine straighten, and his tremors that had been subdued due to the adrenaline rush had returned with more fervor than before. And again, his voice squeaked in horror at his findings.

"It's a _real, live __**ghost!**_"

-0-

The next morning came quickly, even though Neji had a difficult time sleeping. His mind had been racing all night; who was the cursed warrior, or who had been behind it? What did it mean when he failed to notice any kind of life form inside the armor? Had it really been a ghost, or was it an illusion, and the real perpetrator managed to escape before they had noticed?

But that was not the end of his debates. No matter how much he hated to acknowledge it, he had spent the most of his evening thinking about Tenten. How she had been so cold to him during their journey, and how she had barely said a word to him unless the situation demanded it. She was even avoiding making eye contact with him. She usually wasn't the kind of person who held grudges, so her behavior had confused him. She couldn't possibly still be angry with him after days of travel.

However, even as they walked to the quarters of Lord Moso, the advisor to Lord Sagi, she never once said a word to him. When they reached the small living space, he claimed a spot in the middle of the room just so she had no choice _but_ to sit next to him. He watched her reaction carefully, but she seemed not to mind as she sat down beside him, Naruto on his left. He soon noticed that her mind had been far too occupied with the room than Neji's maneuver.

"So, this is Moso's place? It's…kinda small," Naruto said, his eyes scanning the room. Neji let it slide. The country did not have the wealth Fire Country had possessed, so a smaller shelter was expected.

He did, however, become agitated when Tenten commented on its lacking of finer materials in similar surprise as Naruto. "Yeah. I mean, he is a pretty important person. You would think he would have a lot more show of wealth; golden panels, antique tables, stuff like that."

He wasted no time at voicing his disgust at their rude behavior, but he really directed it at her. "Quiet. You're being rude."

Then Chishima had to intervene. "Oh, it's quite alright. My lord, Moso, is not interested in luxuries that come with power. He is a wise man and he chooses to live frugally versus a lavish lifestyle of wealth."

Neji glared at him. Had that been necessary? They had not even met the man, and they were already casting judgment on him. He would not allow his team to disgrace a man who had more common sense than they did. He also had not needed Chishima to come to their aid when he had reprimanded them for it.

"But, he's like, super important. Well, not feudal lord important, but isn't he the next on the food chain? Why does he act like he's so poor?!"

He could not restrain himself at Naruto's loud declaration. "Naruto!"

He would have said more, but a soft laugh came from outside the panel. Chishima slid it open to reveal a rather large older man, who seemed as if he could pass as a high priest. He made his way towards them and sat down in front of him, his smile never leaving his face.

"My, I am so ashamed to have to meet you in such squalor. I hope you can forgive me."

Something did not feel right about the man in front of him, but he was embarrassed that he had overheard his teammates' conversation. He would have to tread carefully now to make sure no more damage was done. He bowed respectively and thankfully Tenten followed suit.

Naruto gasped and pointed a finger at the man. "You're telling me that _this_ is Lord Mosou? He looks like he could be running a dumpling shop!"

Neji cursed under his breath. Why couldn't he just keep quiet and be respectful? He shot up from his position and threw his hand on top of Naruto's head and pushed him to the floor.

"You idiot," he spat, hoping that Moso had not taken offense. He heard Naruto's head smack against the floor, and he was rewarded with a grunt. Maybe now he had learned his lesson.

The old man must have thought Naruto was a comedian, because he simply laughed heartily at him. "Please, my friends, do not fret. Make yourselves at home! I presume that you are the Konoha ninja who came to our aid?" Chishima nodded, and proceeded to introduce them to Moso.

He then continued, "I hear you came in contact with the cursed warrior last night when it appeared at Komei's residence, am I correct?"

Before Neji could respond, Naruto blurted out a response. "Yeah, we did! It looks like we have a real ghost on our hands!"

Neji groaned. It was true that they had not encountered a living person, but he had a feeling that if he were to investigate the area, he would be able to find some clues as to what exactly was happening.

Moso seemed to be entertained by the idea. He didn't look as shocked and horrified as Neji thought he would have been. "Oh. Oh, you don't say?"

Neji turned to the boy next to him and glared at him. "Do not make rash assumptions."

He returned his glare with one of his own. "Well, it appeared out of nowhere, and it can fly around. That means it's a ghost, Neji!" His eye twitched in annoyance at the way he emphasized his name. As if Neji had been the stupid one for not understanding such basic facts.

"Yeah, and remember when we knocked off his head? No one was inside. It was empty."

Now he was furious. He could have pushed Naruto's statement to the side, but now Tenten was against him? She _never_ took someone else's side over his! _Never_! Why the hell did she assume that _Naruto_ was correct now? His logic hadn't even made sense! They hadn't even been on the case for a day! She wasn't taking Naruto's side because she had similar views, but because she wanted to oppose _him_. And that thought infuriated him to no end.

"There's a rational explanation for everything if you know where to look," he replied, his voice surprisingly calm, but his eyes glaring angrily at her. He quickly turned his attention back on Moso when she had narrowed her eyes at him. "I promise you, sir, we _will_ find out what is happening."

The man's smile suddenly disappeared, replaced with a serious expression. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, young sir. With our new feudal lord in place, we cannot allow these rumors to terrorize our people. I am begging you, from the bottom of my heart," he pleaded, dropping to his hands and knees in front of them, a move Neji found disturbing.

"Please, help save our country from fear's grasp. You are our only hope."

-0-

He wanted to meet the daimyo, Sagi, to ask him the questions that had been on his mind since the night before. How did his father, Lord Owashi, pass away? Was it a natural death, one that was predictable, or had it been a possible assassination? He knew it must have been a quick death; the shock of his passing had still been a tender subject throughout the village. But if the cursed warrior was out for vengeance, perhaps the young lord could enlighten him as to why.

However, his request had been denied by Chishima, saying his friend would not see anyone, not even himself. It was a cause of concern to Neji; why remain holed up in the palace and remain hidden from questioning when an unknown person was threatening his village? Perhaps there was more to Sagi than people thought.

Neji persisted in meeting him, so Chishima had taken them to a small lake, where they were currently waiting for Sagi to show up. This had _not_ been what he had in mind when he wanted to speak with him, crouched in the marsh, somewhat hidden by the grass. On top of that, they didn't even know if he _would_ appear. Well, if he did not, he would be forced to find another way.

While Chishima reminisced about how the lake held many dear memories, Neji's agitation kept rising. How much longer would they have to wait? He was already pissed off from the events of the morning, and now he was wasting time hoping Sagi would decide to pay the lake a visit. He should have just told Chishima he would ask Moso, and perhaps he could have been more help. But of course, Naruto and Tenten agreed and he was left following behind, which had done nothing to ease his boiling rage.

The minutes felt like hours. He was tired of crouching; his muscles in his legs actually began to burn. He was tired of listening to Chishima talk about his times with Sagi and his late sister, Toki. He was tired of waiting. And, to top it off, he was tired of being in the presence of Naruto and Tenten.

He slowly began to rise, to tell them he had had enough and he would investigate alone while the three of them spent the entire day waiting when a carriage appeared on the horizon. Of course. _Now_ he decided to show up.

He carefully watched as the coach moved toward the lake. Chishima identified it as Sagi's wagon, and before long, Neji could make out a figure inside. He seemed young; even though he was told that opposition arose when Sagi had taken over as daimyo because of his age, he did not think he would be but a few years older than they were. He wore a sad expression, and Neji suddenly felt bad for him. He had lost his father and his sister within a year. He knew the feeling, and now understood why he had confined himself. It was the same reason Neji had closed his heart.

His thoughts were interrupted by a hushed but high-pitch squeal from beside him. "Wow! So that's Sagi-sama? He is _so_ cute! He is _definitely_ my type of guy!"

He waited a second to absorb Tenten's proclamation, and after repeating her statement over in his head, he had a severe urge to jump out from hiding and beat the young brat to a pulp. Even though seconds before he was feeling a sense of empathy for him. Now, he needed him dead.

He took a deep breath to calm his raging emotions, but he couldn't stop them. Tenten was not one to fawn over some cute boy, and she had not seemed interested in anything but her training. She made a comment about Sasuke once, which had angered him then as well, but that had been it. She never once mentioned him after that.

But this had been on a whole separate level from her split second crush with Sasuke. Her eyes were lit up as if Sagi had been a weapon she had been wanting since birth. Her hands were clasped together in front of her in delight. What set him off the most was that faint tint of pink on her cheeks. She was _blushing_!

He had to focus on something else before he lost control. He dug his hands into the earth, his mind trying to find something to do. He counted to ten, but that did not work, seeing that it made him think of _her_! He looked around the area and decided to count the animals: birds, pelicans, geese, _anything_ that was in the vicinity.

He felt it then, a feeling of murderous intent that was beyond his own. He could not make out any movement on the land, which led him to believe assassins were using the lake as a diversion. He activated his Byakugan to get an idea of how many to prepare for. There only seemed to be three of them, even as he scanned the rest of the area above ground. Well, at least he could manage on his own. It would allow him the perfect opportunity to vent his frustration, as well as illustrate to Sagi what he could do to someone who pissed him off.

He quickly got to his feet, grabbing a handful of kunai from his pouch. His move surprised Naruto and Tenten until they noticed the shuriken flying from the water. He threw his weapons at the metal aimed at Sagi and managed to knock down all but one. He swore under his breath as the last shuriken impaled the carriage next to Sagi's head. It wasn't part of the mission to protect the man, and as much as he hated him for catching Tenten's eyes, it would have done him no good to have him die. Chaos would have erupted, and he did not want to cause any disputes.

He ran out to the shore, Tenten following close behind him. It took Naruto a few moments to realize what was going on, but he too joined the battle. The assassins were not as skilled as he hoped they would have been; Neji didn't even break a sweat and Tenten managed to use taijutsu to knock her enemy away. Naruto gave his a simple kick to head and he went down. Pitiful.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Naruto asked, but they turned their backs and fled back into the water. Neji rolled his eyes. So much for alleviating his frustration. Now he was even angrier!

Naruto gave chase after them, his chakra allowing him to run on the water's surface. Neji called out to stop him. Their enemy would not allow them to discover their place of retreat. They were assassins. They operated on secrecy. And probably had a smokescreen to cover their tracks.

Naruto stopped when he shouted his name and slid on the water, falling to his knees. He glared at Neji, his face filled with confusion for not allowing him to pursue them.

Until the paper bomb exploded, and a tidal wave pushed Naruto back to the shore.

"Had you followed them any farther, you could have been killed."

He turned his back as Naruto gasped at his comment. Chishima was standing next to the cabin Sagi sat in and smiled.

"Thank you for saving Lord Sagi." He did not respond. Instead, his eyes caught Sagi's in hatred. _I hope you enjoyed that little show. I can do the same to you._ Chishima introduced them to his friend and informed him of their mission.

But Sagi did not seem to like what he had heard. "This was Moso's idea, wasn't it?"

"Yes, because he is worried about you," Chishima added. "If these three hadn't been here to stop those assassins, then—"

"Hold your tongue!" Sagi interrupted bitterly. As much as Neji did not want to admit it, he had actually been taken back at his harshness and lack of gratitude.

Naruto jumped to his friend's defense. "Hey! Can't you see how much your friendship means to this guy?! He convinced our Hokage to send us here, and we are out here working for pennies! All because this guy here is such a good friend!"

Sagi's face contorted in anger. "I never asked for his assistance," he spat. "How annoying."

Naruto took a step forward, his eyes narrowing at the man before him. "What did you say?"

"That friendship is part of the past. He is a page, and I am the leader of this country. He is not worthy enough to be constituted my friend anymore."

"How dare you trash talk friendship you big snob!" Neji grabbed an arm before he could lunge at Sagi, Tenten grabbing the other. A part of him wanted to let him go; Sagi's arrogance had been disturbing. But allowing Naruto to attack the daimyo would only cause the situation to worsen.

Naruto fought in their grip. "Let me go! Guys like this are just asking for it!"

"He's the daimyo, Naruto. Knock it off." Tenten was defending her new lover, and that did not sit well with Neji. His grip tightened around Naruto's arm as a result. Finally, Sagi tossed the shuriken that had nearly killed him out of his hands, and called for his guards to carry on.

As he watched the cartel continue out of sight, he wanted to follow him, close off a few, or a lot of chakra points, and then demand answers to his questions. He stopped his train of thought quickly when realization dawned on him.

He was _jealous_!

He tried to reason with himself that he was simply angry with Sagi for acting so cold, but he dealt with snobs every day, and he never got this riled up. He then thought it was because Tenten had, for that split second, thought Sagi was better than him. He hoped that after this little incident, she would see that Sagi was a stuck-up little brat who would be a very poor match for her.

"This shuriken has a unique shape to it." Hearing her voice, he tuned himself back into the conversation around him.

Chishima gasped next to him. "Do you recognize this weapon?" Neji asked.

He nodded in response. "We do not have our own ninja squads like you guys have, but a few of our guards are receiving special training."

"And this is a weapon they would use?"

He again nodded to Neji's question. Tenten spoke up next. "Well, who commands them then?"

Chishima turned to her, a grim look on his face. "Our tactician, Komei."

At least now they had a solid lead on the cursed warrior case. A new motive in mind, the group hurried along to talk to their suspect. Neji was anxious to put an end to this mission, not solely because of the nature of the cursed warrior, but because he needed to get away from Sagi's presence.

The mention of the man caused him to slow his pace, a move that surprisingly caught Tenten's eye. She inhaled deeply, then waited for him to catch up to her, Naruto and Chishima a good distance ahead of them.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked as she began walking along side him. He did not reply right away; his thoughts had been focused on how to wrap up the case quickly so they could leave as soon as possible. She sternly said his name, and he tossed his ideas to the back of his mind.

"I'm not thinking about anything."

She sighed angrily, but she did not say anything else. He spoke up before she had the chance to walk away.

"I didn't know you were into the cold-hearted guys."

His words stopped her in her tracks, but she did not turn to face him. And it bothered him. How could he read her face when she refused to look at him?

A soft chuckle caught him off guard. "Yeah, well…he kind of reminds me someone else."

Great. Now she was thinking of Sasuke again. He should have kept his mouth shut, but he desperately wanted to know who she was thinking of. He _had _to know.

"Who does he remind you of?"

She was quiet for a few moments, but she finally turned to face him, her eyes locking with his.

"He reminds me of you."

-0-

He could not fall asleep that night. They had followed Komei from his residence and he had led them to the same temple where the cursed warrior had disappeared their first night in the village. It had been highly suspicious, but Komei's reaction had not been one of being caught in the act, but rather, the opposite. He was confused as to why they were following him. It still did nothing to remove him as a suspect, but it did create a more confusing case.

To add to his curiosity, Komei had been arrested within an hour of Neji's team reporting that night's event with the cursed warrior. It had been far too quick, as if someone had already been anticipating it. He now wanted to interview Komei personally, to understand who he was before casting judgment. He also wanted to ask Moso how he had been so swift to arrest him. Someone had to have been lying and framing the innocent one. Or perhaps, neither of them were guilty at all.

He soon dismissed his thoughts as he rolled on to his side, hoping his mind would stop being so restless. He was tired. It had been a long day, and he was braced for another at dawn. His body needed sleep, but he could not stop thinking about that night and the cursed warrior.

He finally gave up, sitting up in his bed and rubbing his hands over his face. He decided that he needed to physically do something to calm his mind, so he grabbed his sandals and stepped out into the living area that connected their rooms together. He slid his panel door shut and carefully headed for the main exit outside, his eyes straining in the darkness. He had to take a walk, to do something so he could sleep and prepare for the long day that awaited him.

Just as his hand reached the door, he heard a shuffling behind him and he quickly turned around, his mind on high alert. He couldn't see a thing, but someone was there. He doubted it was the cursed warrior, but, it could have been an intruder. He grabbed a kunai from his pocket (because ninjas always have some sort of weapon on them) and was about to activate his kekkei genkai when he familiar voice stopped him.

"It's just me," Tenten said quietly, holding up a small lit candle, or something like it, that cut through the darkness. His muscles relaxed and he replaced the kunai back in his pocket. "What are you doing up?"

He immediately became uncomfortable. He didn't understand why, but he wished he would have stayed in bed and found some other way to fall asleep. Ever since their last conversation about the daimyo, he felt…nervous around her. He had no idea what she had meant at her comparison between himself and Sagi, but he had not been happy about it.

But he knew better than to come out and ask. "I could not sleep." He wondered if she was going to reiterate her evaluation between the two of them, seeing that he had not said a word to her after her remark. Except when they fought the cursed warrior. But that was different.

She apparently thought otherwise. "I'm sure we will get some answers tomorrow. There really isn't anything we can do tonight."

She was referring to the cursed warrior. But now that he was fully awake, he wanted answers in regards to the earlier statement.

_He reminds me of you._

He could not see the similarities she obviously had seen. He called out to her before she could disappear into her room. "Wait. I have something I would like to ask you."

"Yes?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. He took a breath, and before he lost his nerve, he asked her the question that had been on his mind all day.

"What is it about Sagi that reminds you of me?"

Her eyes widened at his question. It was possible that she had forgotten all about it. If that were true, he wanted to retract his curiosity. It would lead to her asking why he cared and he was not ready to openly talk about his mixed emotions when he had no idea what they meant.

"Well," she started, his attention fully focused on her. She seemed to be pondering the best way to say what was on her mind without being mean. Well, he wanted honesty. And if the comparison was a bad thing, then he deserved to know up front.

"Be honest, Tenten."

She took a deep breath and turned to face him. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I didn't know you would think anything of it."

Well, he had, and he would continue to do so until she told him what she had meant. "You're avoiding the question."

She chuckled before she went on. "Well, you both were born into prestigious families, and you both lost your fathers. His hatred at what happened turned him cold, just as it turned you cold. I mean, you've changed now, and you're opening up to people, but for a second, I really thought he was you. I shouldn't have said it. I'm sorry."

It all made sense to him. He had been just as arrogant before his fight with Naruto. Perhaps not as harsh, because in his mind, he had only been telling the truth. At least, what he thought was truth. That fate could not be changed. And Sagi had gone through a similar history, which in turn caused him to close his heart. He now understood that her comment had been true, but he hated it. She said she hadn't meant it, but she said it, and Tenten was not the kind of girl to sugarcoat anything. And it made him sick with worry. What if she didn't think of him as a good enough friend?

His silence did not go unnoticed. "Neji, I'm sorry. I know I've been mean to you lately, and I shouldn't have been. I just got frustrated because I can't read you as well as I can read Lee. I know you're not very good at expressing your thoughts, but, I don't know if you're mad at me, or if I have done something wrong because you don't _say_ anything."

He saw it clear enough now. Emotions were never his strong suit, but he had been hiding them under his stoic expressions, and he now knew that he had been misleading her, and Lee, and possibly even his family.

"But," she continued. "I don't know if I want that to change, you know? It's something that's unique about you, and it makes you who you are."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked, finding his voice softer than usual.

"It could use some improvement, but, I think it's a good thing. Otherwise, you wouldn't be you, and you'd be weird." He grinned at her comment, the tension he felt earlier dissipating as the mood became lighter. "You just have to tell me when I've done something to upset you. It might be hard to grasp at first being so open, but you'll feel much better. Promise."

He wanted to tell her so much more, that he had been extremely upset when she turned fan-girl at the sight of Sagi. How he hated not being the center of her attention, when she had been the one person constantly on his mind. Perhaps she could offer some light on the situation, or help put him in his place.

He saw her yawn, and he suddenly felt exhausted, as if his body had undergone that late night walk he did not take. He would make his personal emotions a topic for another time.

As he made his way back to his room, he offered her a sincere smile. "Thank you."

Her face brightened in the glow of the fire. "Sleep well, Neji. I'll see you in the morning."

And he had the best sleep of his life.

* * *

So I know it was a surprise for Neji to punch Lee, but in his defense (and I guess mine?) he was extremely frustrated. Who wouldn't want to punch the first person they saw to feel better?

Second, while I was watching these episodes again, I really noticed that there was VERY little interaction with Neji and Tenten, which seemed very strange to me. So, this idea was sprouted. Especially when Tenten sided with Naruto about the ghost issue. I could have seen Lee doing it, but not her. And Neji kinda did glare at her a little after the comment if you watch.

But the Sagi comparison was my favorite part to write. I may have a weird sensor in my mind, but I really did see a lot of Neji's old self in Sagi. And I found that ironic, given that Tenten enters a rare fangirl mode with cold-hearted people, even if she doesn't know that at first. There might be some hope after all!

Anyways, thanks again for reading!

Oh, and Happy Belated Birthday to my second fave, Lee! This was supposed to have been posted on his birthday!


	6. Chapter 6

**::A/N::** A great many thanks again to all those who have read this story! I can never thank you enough!

But damn, this chapter was by far the hardest to write. I literally spent three days struggling to write it. So I'm hoping I did okay. I actually came up with a lot of the "extra" scenes while I was writing it instead of studying the episodes. I personally hated this part of the saga for the sole reason of Kakashi's interference. So I tried to leave him out as much as I could.

Anyway, thanks again for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy...somewhat...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be famous. But I am not.

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Six_

Neji knew something was wrong the minute his team stepped into Moso's residence the next morning. He couldn't figure out what was amiss, but for once, it had nothing to do with his emotions towards his two teammates. After his late night run-in with Tenten the night before, he felt more comfortable in her presence. She had even smiled at him earlier that morning before they had left. The lack of hostility between them had even helped in regards to his behavior towards Naruto. He had not once berated or even glared at the boy since everything had been cleared up.

So his team was not the source. Chishima seemed as happy as ever, so he highly doubted he was to blame. Moso also greeted them with a smile, which he had been expecting, but there was something off about the way he looked. He was…_too_ happy.

"Thank you for your hard work! Komei has already confessed to his horrible deeds!" he began as the three of them sat down in front of him. "It seems he orchestrated the cursed warrior persona to frighten the public and take advantage of the daimyo's place."

Neji still could not be convinced that Komei was the true mastermind behind the cursed warrior. His first reason was his startled reaction when they had followed him to the temple. He had not seemed angry at them for discovering his secret as much as he had been surprised at their presence. That and the fact that if he was the top tactician for the area, why had he ventured out in a bizarre get-up while the sun was still setting? Someone had been bound to follow him.

His second reason had been the weapons and the assassins. Why was a frontal public attack needed when Komei could have easily targeted Sagi from the confines of his own home? If Lord Owashi had been assassinated in a mysterious manner, why would a different approach have been taken to kill off his son? The weapons left behind at the lake only pointed more fingers his way, but in his opinion, that's what the real mastermind had intended.

His doubts were also shared by Naruto. "And," he started hesitantly, "Komei told you all of this himself?"

The smile on Moso's face did not waver. "I know. Isn't that just strange? He even explained how the second cursed warrior you encountered was a real ninja, who melted his own flesh with a powerful acid to keep from being discovered!"

This horror story was becoming too much of a fictional account to Neji. Yes, he had seen someone inside the second suit of armor, but to corrode his own body with an acid? It seemed too farfetched for him to believe, even if there had been no body found inside.

"With this, the cursed warrior mystery is over. The Land of Birds can once again enjoy the peace it once had," he continued, that grin still plastered on his face, a fact that was stirring doubts in Neji's mind. He actually appeared pleased that _Komei _was out of the picture rather than the cursed warrior.

But he knew better than to voice his thoughts out loud. What did it matter anyway? So someone was corrupt, possibly Moso, or maybe even Sagi, or even Komei, but it was not his place to say anything. If this was the way they sought fit to live, then he had no right to interfere. Just so long as their ways did not create problems for his country.

But, Naruto, like he had been expecting, had to throw in his two cents. "W-wait! There's a second cursed warrior!"

"Enough," Neji said quickly before Naruto could say anything else.

He could practically feel Naruto's glare on his back. "Wh-what? But you said last night that—,"

Moso turned to them before he left, cutting off Naruto. "You have done an excellent job. I hope that you have a safe journey back to your village."

And with that, the man was gone.

-0-

The mission was over, but a part of Neji knew it was not complete. There was more going on behind the scenes, and as curious as he was to find out the details, he couldn't do it. He was not one to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

But he was growing annoyed with Naruto's resolve to continue on. "Come on, Neji! Don't you remember what you said? That the first cursed warrior was different than the second? Something is fishy here!"

"It doesn't matter, Naruto," he answered, placing his things into his bag. "There could have been multiple people disguised as the cursed warrior, but we have been told our mission is over. There is no need to investigate further."

Tenten came to his defense. "Yeah, and don't forget that they said Komei already confessed."

Naruto still would not have it. "You don't think that is strange? How can you just pack up your things and leave when we have no idea what happened?!"

Naruto's words stilled his movements. There was a tone in Naruto's voice he did not like when he was addressing Tenten. He quickly snapped back. "It is not our place to decide that, regardless of the circumstances. If we were to carry on without permission, it would only cause trouble."

He had expected Naruto to storm off, but he had not expected him to defy his authority. "Guess I'm doing this by myself then!"

"Wait," he called after him, and the footsteps came to a halt. He knew Naruto was right, as much as he did not want to admit it. Something was definitely wrong. If they continued to investigate after being told to leave and Moso caught wind of it, they would be in over their heads. He honestly didn't care what would become of the Land of Birds in their absence, but he was again reminded that the mission was not complete.

Which technically meant he still had the right to see the mission through until he thought otherwise. "I am still the leader of this mission," he added, earning a scowl from Naruto.

"Yeah, so what? This mission is _over_, remember?"

Neji refrained from standing up and beating Naruto senseless. Instead, he took a deep breath and spoke up before Naruto turned and walked out the door. "The team is not yet finished with the cursed warrior. Tenten and I will investigate from a different angle."

Tenten nearly dropped her bag. "_What_?! You just said we were finished!"

He would address the issue with her later. He turned to Naruto, who wore a similar look of shock as Tenten had. "You have a point, Naruto. This case has too many loose ends to be complete."

Naruto grinned. "Awesome! I'm gonna ask around and solve this thing before nightfall!" He bolted out of the room and Neji exhaled. He just hoped Naruto didn't do anything stupid to get caught.

But he would rather Naruto be foolish on his own than compromise his strategy. He wanted to find out how Owashi had been killed. If he had in fact been murdered, then it was on questioning Sagi. Surely the man must have had some idea as to who would have wanted his father killed.

"Since when did you start listening to Naruto?"

Neji paused his train of thought and looked up to Tenten, who seemed slightly agitated. He returned her stare with a grin and began throwing more things into his bag.

When he didn't answer, she sighed. "So what are your big plans then? You do realize that Naruto is more than likely spreading the word that we aren't leaving."

He understood her concern, but he was hoping Naruto would at least investigate cautiously. The only person Naruto would have told about this illegal continuation was Chishima, but he had left shortly after their dismissal at Moso's an hour before. Surely Naruto would not run out of his way to inform him.

"Oh, hello Chishima!"

Neji dropped his head. This could not have been good. He quickly turned to meet the older man, his confused expression a red flag in Neji's mind.

_Damn it, Naruto!_

"So, uh, Naruto said he was investigating the cursed warrior? I thought it was over."

Neji wanted so badly to slap himself for not having better control over the loud-mouthed moron, but thankfully Tenten jumped in first.

"Ah, don't mind him. He can say some crazy stuff sometimes."

Neji had to change the subject fast before Chishima had a chance to ask any more questions. "May I ask what you have come for?"

It worked; the confusion on his face was replaced with a smile. "Oh, right." He sat down across from them and offered them a wrapped box. "You all have been such a great help, and I can't express my gratitude enough. I feel ashamed for how little you were paid for your hard work, so I—,"

"Oh, did you bring more?!"

He tried to ignore the excitement in Tenten's voice. It would have been nice to have been offered at least the minimum amount for their mission, but he knew that the Land of Birds was a poor country. He would not exploit that to fulfill a personal want.

"We can't accept more payment from you."

Thankfully for him, Chishima laughed. "Haha, it's not money; it's a local delicacy: bean jam stuffed wings!"

And then the room fell silent, minus a few birds cawing from the canals.

-0-

The minute they stepped foot into the graveyard of the past daimyos, Neji suddenly felt sick. He was not a fan of being surrounded by the dead, the feeling of loss opening up unhealed scars on his heart. He steeled himself as they walked toward the back of the site where Owashi was said to have been buried. The quicker they found out his cause of death, the quicker he would be able to get out of the place.

"This is really creepy," Tenten said quietly next to him, her eyes wandering from each grave, her body slightly more tense than usual. "This is a lot of feudal lords."

She was trying to keep a conversation going. The eerie silence was only making things worse. "I agree," he replied, taking a few seconds to look around as well. There must have been at least fifty graves; most of them large tombs expanding from the ground. He noticed that they were not luxurious, but realizing the state of the economy, he would not have expected differently.

They both fell silent; Neji's attention focused on the large building coming into view, more than likely Owashi's tomb; Tenten still taking in the scene in front of them. They were almost there. Neji could not have been more relieved. Even though he had spent a total of three minutes at the grave site, it had been an extremely long few minutes. He was ready to leave.

Just as Owashi's grave came into full sight, a shriek from behind him caused his heart to nearly jump out of his chest. Before he even had a chance to reach for a weapon in defense, Tenten latched herself on to his arm.

All hell broke loose in his head at the sudden contact. The emotions he had put aside had come back full force. His heart that had been pounding vigorously at the sound of her scream nearly imploded in his chest. His breath caught in his throat and he couldn't breathe. Her grip on his arm was almost painful, and he could practically feel her heartbeat through his skin.

It didn't last more than a few seconds. She quickly dropped his arm as if he had been on fire and scurried a few feet away from him. The minute she broke contact with him, he desperately wanted to feel her warmth again. He slowly turned to face her; her eyes focused on the ground and her hands behind her back.

She was embarrassed. "Sorry, Neji. This big bird just flew out of nowhere and it scared the hell out of me."

He looked at her intently for a second before she finally met his eyes. She held his gaze for a few moments before she quickly looked away, a faint tint of pink appearing on her cheeks. "It won't happen again."

He suppressed a laugh, but a small smile still worked its way on to his lips, followed by his usual 'hn'. Her eyes narrowed at him, her embarrassment replaced with annoyance.

"It wasn't funny, Neji."

He finally let out a soft chuckle, earning a stronger glare from Tenten. "I didn't know you were so easily frightened."

He felt a small sense of pride when her face flushed again. "Sh-shut up! This mission feels like something out of a horror movie. You can't blame me." She crossed her arms in frustration and walked past him. She stopped soon after, unfolding her arms as she turned back to him.

"Let's just hurry up and do what we came here to do."

He nodded as she turned to walk towards the large building housing Owashi's body. He smiled again as he began to follow her. A part of him hoped that another bird would be hiding behind another massive stone, ready to take off as they approached. The feeling of her holding his arm was dissipating, and he wanted more than anything to keep that sensation alive.

His thoughts were so much focused on the idea that he nearly ran into her when she made an abrupt halt. He stopped a few inches behind her, wondering if she was now scared of being face-to-face with the enormous tomb before them.

But when she turned to him, he could practically feel the murderous intent in her eyes. "You tell anyone about this, and you're a dead man."

-0-

_"You will do nothing beyond the scope of your mission."_

Neji never felt more humiliated in his life. He was the team captain, their leader, and now _Kakashi_ had to put him in his place. After his discovery of poison in Owashi's body, a group of guards had cornered them at the grave site. Naruto had apparently been captured and had been sentenced to death. Neji had felt obligated to rescue the younger boy, seeing as though he couldn't help but feel responsible for sending Naruto out on his own.

But Kakashi, who had appeared as they were in the process of rescuing Naruto, had stopped him. He had been surprised. He knew very little about Gai's rival, other than he was always reading those perverted books. Neji anticipated him to have been upset with his decision, but he did not expect him to stop him. Especially when the one they were rescuing had been one of his own. Surely Kakashi had more sense than to abandon his own student because Neji may not have followed proper conduct.

He clenched his fists together tightly. "This is all my fault." His arms were shaking. They had to rescue Naruto. He would not allow his death to reign on his conscious because of a stupid mistake he made. "Please, we have to save him."

But Kakashi would not have it. "Our mission here is done."

_Our_ mission? No, this was _his_ mission, his _team's_ mission. Kakashi had just recently poked his head into their business. He had no right to claim jurisdiction now. He probably had no idea what was going on!

He was so caught up in his rage that he barely heard Tenten speak beside him. "So, we just leave Naruto?! He's going to be killed!"

It had been the first time she seemed willing to disobey her superior. She would oppose ideas, yes, but she would always understand and do what was asked. She actually appeared more willing to save Naruto than Neji had been.

"Sacrifice is an inevitable part of the shinobi way."

Kakashi's statement had shocked them both. Was he really thinking of heading back now? Neji couldn't understand. There had to have been some sort of reason. Maybe Kakashi knew that Naruto was safe somewhere and their rescue mission was not necessary. But his last comment did not sit well with him. _Sacrifice_? This was not a sacrifice. It was a mistake. One that could have been corrected if he was just given the chance!

"Now," Kakashi began as he turned to face them. "Let's get going."

The older man walked past them, both still frozen in their spot. He clenched his fists again, tight enough that he was drawing blood. His jaw tightened in anger, his head pounding as his muscles tensed in frustration. Naruto really was going to die because of him. He was never going to be able to forgive himself now.

"Neji?"

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. His boiling anger must have been giving off a deadly aura. The fear in Tenten's voice made that much clear to him.

She spoke up again, leaning over to him and speaking quietly. "Are we really going to leave Naruto behind? You're still the leader here, Neji. I'll do whatever _you_ want to do."

Her words were the comfort his aching heart needed. She really was something else.

"Did I not make myself clear?"

They both glanced over at Kakashi, his uncovered eye glaring at the two of them. Neji knew it was pointless to go after Naruto now. Kakashi was more experienced and smarter than the two of them put together. Aside from that, this was Neji's mistake. He would not allow Tenten to be a part of that. He closed his eyes, his mind made up, and hoped that she did not take it upon herself to act alone.

"Let's go, Tenten." He wanted to say more, to tell her that Kakashi would have stopped them, forcefully if need be, and he would not allow that. But he couldn't. It wouldn't have mattered what he said. The truth was that they were leaving Naruto to die. No excuse was going to be good enough.

When she finally spoke up, there was a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Alright."

And it killed him. She had every right to be upset with him, but it hurt like hell. His stomach constricted painfully to the point he thought he was going to be sick. She lost her faith in him because he was not strong enough to oppose Kakashi's orders. He didn't even want to imagine what the rest of Konoha was going to think about his poor leadership. But that didn't matter to him. Tenten had been disappointed in him, and his actions were going to kill a teammate who had served under his command.

There was a burning sensation in the back of his eyes. He may not have liked Naruto, but he didn't want him to die. It was partly because of him that he was able to see the world clearly. He had helped shape him to the person he was at present. Naruto had given his all to prove that he had been in the wrong, but he was not able to save the boy from death. He prayed silently that someone would help him in his place, that he would see that bright orange-clad idiot shortly after their return to the village.

He felt something tug on his hand and his eyes flew open to meet Tenten's. She offered him a soft smile, both hands closing around his. His shame and anger were quickly forgotten. He had no idea how she was able to cause him to forget his troubles simply by her touch, but he welcomed it. Especially now. He _needed_ her support.

"Come on, Neji. I'm sure Kakashi will see things our way before too long. We will be back to save Naruto."

There was confidence in her eyes and determination in her voice that made Neji realize she had not given up hope. And he would not either. He returned her smile with one of his own, and before she turned and walked away, he tightened his hold on her hand.

"Thank you, Tenten."

She quickly dropped her eyes as she pulled her hand from his grasp. He wanted to reach out and grab her hand again, but he merely smiled as that tint of pink rushed to her face.

"Let's go," she said as she turned her back on him, his smile never leaving his face. Despite the situation he was facing, he took a small sense of pleasure knowing that she had been flustered because of him.

-0-

As Neji had listened to Moso's declaration, stating Komei had in fact conspired against the nation, he had a feeling something was off again. Moso's smug look as he had finished, the tension and surprise from the crowd that had gathered to witness the execution, the outburst from Komei that Moso had "finally sprang his trap." Komei had to have been an innocent victim.

But that was before _another_ cursed warrior had intervened and had taken off with him. Neji, Tenten, and Kakashi had given chase after them in hopes of finally putting an end to the mission, but the older man stated he had something to take care of, and had demanded them to follow in pursuit of the pair.

They cornered them at the abandoned temple, both of them landing in between Komei and the cursed warrior and their means of escape.

It was time for the truth.

"It seems we were right to believe you were the mastermind behind this," Neji exclaimed, grabbing a kunai from his pouch and holding it up, ready to strike if need be. Tenten followed suit as Komei's eyes widened in surprise.

He held up his hand, as if to stop their casting of judgment. "No, wait. It's not what you—." He then paused, recognition in his eyes. "It's…it's you two. You were at the temple the other night."

Neji would not hear it. This man was the land's tactician; he could very well be using his knowledge to weasel his way out of the situation. He must have seen the determination in Neji's eyes. He quickly continued where he left off.

"That night, I went to investigate the scene myself. I just had to know who this cursed warrior was. I had my suspicions, but—,"

Tenten cut him off quickly, the grip on her kunai tightening as well. "Well then, seeing as he's standing right here, let's find out who he really is!"

Neji was impressed at her resolve. She seemed slightly more tense than he thought she would have been. She was probably ready for this damn mission to be over, and he could not have agreed with her more.

However, the cursed warrior panicked, his arms flailing to keep them at a safe distance. It confused Neji. Sure, he did not want his identity to be known, but this had been the first time he did not lunge forward to attack. Tenten pushed forward regardless. She wanted answers, despite the change in his character. The armored warrior stepped back as she came closer, until Kakashi's voice pulled their attention to him.

"That's enough."

She stopped her approach, clearly surprised by Kakashi's intrusion. "Kakashi-Sensei. Where have you been?"

Neji watched him grab a kunai from his pouch, his eyes wondering around the area, obviously looking for something. "I'll explain later. Just go on."

The look in his eye was a serious one, but Neji's curiosity rose. What exactly had they been running from that had worried someone like Kakashi? He didn't have time to think, as Komei and the cursed warrior used their lapse in attention to head off towards the temple.

They both watched as they ran past them. "Wait…what's going on?" Tenten asked, confusion laced in her words.

Kakashi spoke up once again; this time, more assertive than before. "Go on. You're going with them."

Neji knew better than to doubt him now, but as he turned to follow the two on the run, Tenten stood frozen in her spot. She looked to be debating what she was going to do, but he knew Kakashi would be fine on his own. Their priority was getting the answers they needed.

"Come on, Tenten. Let's go."

It snapped her out of her faze and she was right behind him as he took off towards the building. He was quite surprised when he passed through the wooden doors to find Komei and the cursed warrior waiting for them. They had the time they needed to make an escape, but they didn't. He was about to ask why when the cursed warrior began his decent into an underground passageway.

It was dark and cool inside the tunnel. But it was huge. Why did someone build something like this? More importantly, where was it going to lead them?

Tenten seemed just as interested in the tunnel as he had been. "I didn't know there was a secret passage here. Where does this go and why was it built?"

Neji managed a soft chuckle from behind. It was hard to believe, but her curiosity could easily surpass his own at times.

"I have heard that the daimyo built these tunnels to move around in secrecy as he observed the daily lives of his people," Komei responded, his words echoing off the walls.

"So," Tenten began, "If this cursed warrior knows about these underground passageways, then…he has to have some kind of connection to the feudal lord!"

"Well, one thing is certain now," Neji added, his eyes focused on the cursed warrior a few feet in front of him. "He's no more of a ghost than I am."

Tenten came to an abrupt halt in front of him, her head quickly spinning to face him. She wore a strange look, something between confusion and surprise. He pressed forward, knowing she was going to comment on his lack of humorous intent.

She laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Geez, Neji, how lame could you be?"

He was tempted to prove his point, that the cursed warrior before them was not a cursed warrior, but, as he had guessed, it was Naruto. He was the same build and it explained his reaction when they were about to unmask him moments earlier. What Neji did not know was how he had acquired the suit of armor, and how he had escaped his death sentence.

"He will reveal himself to us when the time is right."

Komei's statement had been the inadvertent answer to Neji's question. As soon as Naruto decided to "reveal" himself, he would then ask his questions. However, a part of him was simply thankful that he was alive.

They continued down the long tunnel in silence until they finally reached another stairwell. They waited as the "cursed warrior" pushed aside the object blocking their exit and proceeded out. Once he had pushed himself out of the hole, he glared at Naruto.

It was time for him to come clean.

"This is far enough," he said. Tenten and Komei turned to him, but before either could say a word, the cursed warrior spoke up.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Tenten's eyes widened at the familiar voice. "Wait a minute…" His hand came up to his mask and he pulled it off, revealing Naruto's grinning face. "Naruto?!" He laughed at their (well, not Neji's) confused expressions as he removed his helmet.

Neji smirked. "I thought so."

"Then," Komei started, his confusion deepening, "Lord Sagi was not the true cursed warrior?" His statement surprised Neji. _Lord Sagi_? It slowly began coming together. Tenten's remark about the cursed warrior having a connection to the daimyo rang through his mind. Sagi must have known about the passages, which would have allowed him to appear anywhere he wanted. But even so, _why_ would he have carried on in such a manner? It was possible his need for revenge drove him to find out the truth in secret, but why scare the citizens of his own country? Was he really that selfish?

"You're probably wondering what I'm doing in this—"

Tenten slapped him, and she slapped him hard. Neji stifled a laugh. He had witnessed on many occasions Tenten slapping Lee, but never on this level. He once again had to admit that she could be a very scary individual when need be.

Naruto grabbed his cheek and angrily glared back at her. "What the hell was that for?!"

"That was for keeping me in the dark!" She quickly turned to face him, anger still burning in her eyes. "And you," she said, directing her venom at him. "How long did you know it was Naruto?!"

He smiled and her frustration increased. "Oh, I don't know. It's been a while."

She growled, her fists shaking in front of her. "Unbelievable!" Her glare returned to Naruto. "I was really worried about you, you know that?!"

His smile instantly fell from his face. He knew she had been worried about Naruto, but something about _how_ she said it stirred up uneasiness at the pit of his stomach. She couldn't have been that worried, could she? But, the fact that she had slapped him had told him otherwise. His heart began racing at the thought. Did Tenten actually _like_ Naruto?!

He had to change the subjects, and he had to do it fast. "We had two ninja on our trail back then." It had nothing to do with the current topic, but it was the first thing he thought of. It was the reason why Kakashi had interfered, and why he had been so strict on them when they were leaving. He had to convince the enemy they were returning to Konoha so they could lose them and continue where they had left off.

And thankfully, his change in subjects worked in his favor. "But, I thought we lost them?" Tenten responded, her eyes falling to him once more.

He nodded and he noted the expression in her eyes. She stared at him curiously, as if trying to figure out the reason behind his quick change in moods. He ignored it, however, and continued to elaborate his story to kill the issue completely.

"But when we chased after the cursed warrior, a second ninja appeared."

He really had no idea where he was heading with the issue, but it was working. Naruto was listening intently while he explained what happened in his absence. Komei seemed interested in the fact that someone had wanted them gone before the case had even been solved.

But it did not faze Tenten like he had hoped. "I cannot believe I was the only one who didn't have a clue as to what was going on!" She folded her arms and frowned. "And I was actually worried."

No. No. _No!_ She was _not _supposed to bring that back up! He kept trying to rationalize with himself, that she had simply been worried that Naruto had been killed. But every time he tried, another part of him told him that her harshness towards the younger boy was her way of expressing something deeper than worry!_  
_

_Fear_!

Had she really been so afraid that she would never see Naruto again? She was rarely this hard on Lee, and only when he had worn himself out to the point of severe exhaustion. She couldn't have cared more about Naruto than Lee, could she?

He thought his day couldn't have gone any worse. "We can explain everything inside. Well, me and Sagi anyway. Follow me!" Naruto exclaimed, using his weight to hold up Komei as he walked around the building.

_Great_, he thought. Now he was going to come face-to-face with another man Tenten could have had feelings for.

-0-

When Neji got his hands on Sagi again, he was going to kill him.

He had escaped in search of his revenge against Moso. But that was not what angered him. The bastard actually caged them inside his palace so they would not follow him! He was willing to let the man do what he wanted, but he was _not_ going to stand for holding them captive.

"What are we supposed to do now?!" Tenten cried from behind him. He clenched his hands around the bars that locked them inside. There had to have been a weak spot in the design. All he would have to do was hit it with just enough chakra and they would be free.

Just as he was about to activate his kekkei genkai, the ground began to tremble. The shaking grew stronger quickly, to the point that the building began crumbling because of the force. A support beam behind him snapped in half and the ceiling around it caved in shortly after. They needed to escape quickly or the room would collapse on top of them.

He activated his Byakugan and found a few points in the framework of the cage that he could break to enable them to escape. He gathered enough chakra in his hands, but before he made another move, a second beam shattered behind him.

"Neji! What do we do?!" Naruto yelled over the sound of the moaning of the building and the splintering wood. The younger boy held his hands over his head as parts of the ceiling fell from above him. His mind quickly went back to finding the weak spot he had found seconds before.

A loud crack from above him caught his attention. The ceiling could not take any more. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Naruto grabbed Komei right before the building caved in on top of them. His heart began to pound frantically in his chest.

_Tenten!_

He turned quickly and without hesitation, he lunged himself at her, wrapping his arms her around her shoulders and falling to the ground on top of her. Seconds later, the roof collapsed around him. Pieces of wood and tile shattered loudly as his arms tightened around her. He felt her hands latch on to his shirt as the remnants of the building fell to the ground. Once the earthquake had ceased, everything went quiet.

After the ringing in his ears had diminished, he pushed himself up on all fours, the chunks of ceiling falling off his back and on to the ground next to him. He glanced down at the girl beneath him. Her eyes were tightly shut. Her hands were still clutching his shirt. Her breathing was irregular and she had a small gash on her forehead. He grabbed her by the shoulder and gently shook her.

"Tenten, are you okay?"

She seemed to realize the worst of it was over and she relaxed. She slowly opened her eyes, and Neji could feel his heart skip a beat when he caught a glimpse of the blush on her cheeks.

"N-Neji! What are you doing?!"

He wanted to say something along the lines of, "I took it upon myself to come to your aid since Naruto did not," but his words caught in his throat. There was that feeling again; the way his head felt lighter, his heart beat faster. And he had acted without hesitation. He jumped to her rescue without even thinking. He doubted she needed his help, but his mind shut down and his heart had taken control. And he would not run the risk of something happening to her because he spent too long debating on his course of action.

She was the first to break eye contact as she pushed him off of her. He watched as she sat up carefully, her hand shooting up to the scrape on her head.

"Are you okay?"

She pulled back her hand, disgusted with the sight of blood on her fingers. "Yeah. I just have a little headache. But I'm okay."

"Hey! Are you guys okay?!" Naruto ran over to where they were sitting and kneeled beside Tenten, his eyes falling to her cut. "Oh man, are you alright, Tenten?!"

He wanted to push Naruto aside. He did not come to her aid, Neji did. If anyone was to worry about her condition, it was him.

"I'm fine," she replied, her hand returning to cover her injury. "It's just a scratch."

Thankfully, Komei came up beside him before Neji could do anything rash. "If you are all okay, I ask that you please find Sagi. Please."

He sounded weak and appeared even weaker. Naruto ran to his side before he collapsed and caught him before he hit the ground. Naruto nodded and helped Komei out of the rubble of the palace and towards the entrance to the underground passage.

"Come on guys! We have to find Sagi!"

Neji stood up and brushed the dirt and debris off of his body and looked down to Tenten, who was still holding a hand to her head.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly. He knew better than to press the issue further, but a part of him worried that she was lying, that she had been injured beyond what she was letting on, but she did not say anything more in regards to her condition. She removed her hand and placed her arms around her knees, her eyes staring at the wreckage in front of her.

"Why did you help me?"

He had not been expecting that. He suddenly felt like his chest was caving in, his mouth dried out and he couldn't speak. He swallowed, but it did nothing to help.

"Neji."

He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to tell her the truth. What if it freaked her out, that one of her teammates felt weird things when she was around him? What if she laughed at him? No. He would not let her know the truth until he understood exactly what the truth was.

He settled for a simple reply. "You're welcome."

She finally looked up at him, then a small smile formed on her face. She shook her head as she let out a soft chuckle. "You idiot."

He extended his hand. "Come on. Naruto is waiting. The guards will be here shortly."

She stared at his hand for a few seconds, and just before he retracted it, she reached out and took it. With little effort, he carefully pulled her to her feet. "Let's put an end to this case, shall we?"

He walked to where Naruto was waving at them, yelling at them to "get a move on." He stopped when he realized she was not following.

"Tenten?"

She jumped slightly at his voice, then turned quickly and ran to stand beside him. As they watched Naruto push the cement pillar out of the way and they all slid down to the tunnel beneath them, he managed to pick up a hushed "thank you" from the girl walking beside him.

-0-

It was over. It was _finally_ over! They were ready to depart back to Konoha. He could not have been any happier at that moment.

Well, he could list a few times on the mission he had been happier, but…he was just ready to be back home.

"I hope you travel safe on your way back to your village," Chishima smiled. "Thank you all so much for all you have done. I can't express that enough."

Naruto beamed at his comment. "No sweat! You just take care of Lady Toki, alright?"

The older man nodded his head in reply as the woman next to him spoke up. "You all must come back and visit soon. This country owes you a debt of gratitude and you will always be welcome here."

"Definitely. We will be back next time for a vacation!"

Neji frowned at the thought. As peaceful as the village seemed to be now, he could not return without the image of the "cursed warrior" in his mind. He was not one to believe in a haunted land, but their first encounter had never been explained. Lady Toki, well, Sagi in his mind, had denied her presence that night, which lead Neji to think that there was a possibility that a spirit had been involved.

And that did not sit well with him at all. To be honest, it scared the hell out of him.

Regardless, as long as he did not have to return, he was content with never knowing the truth.

They made a quick stop on a cliff that overlooked the village. Neji couldn't help but notice how much more peaceful the town simply looked previous to their first night on the job. He would have loved to have had the chance to return just for the sheer beauty of the area. It was truly a shame he had to have been sent on some stupid mission to tarnish that vision.

"Man, Lady Toki was awesome. She was so nice and she was _really_ pretty, too!" Naruto exclaimed. Neji smiled at his proclamation. _Did you hear that, Tenten? He's into girls like Lady Toki. He's not interested in you._

Kakashi nodded in approval. "I'm sure she will make the Land of Birds a thriving country once more in the near future."

"By the way, Naruto," Tenten asked, earning a grunt from Neji. Why was she still trying to talk to the kid? "Did you really meet with the ghost of Sagi?"

He saw Naruto jump slightly as he turned his entire body to face her. "Wh-what, are you kidding me? There is no such thing as ghosts, Tenten."

His stomach clenched at the way he said her name. It was strikingly similar to the manner he addressed her. And _he _was the only one allowed to say her name in such a cordial fashion.

He continued on. "I was just having a dream."

It was time for some payback. "I don't think it was a dream."

Naruto turned his attention to him. "You don't…_what_?! What do you mean by that?!"

He tried to hide his smirk from the others. "Do you remember the first time we encountered the cursed warrior?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head, a small hint of fear in his eyes. Tenten responded for him. "Yeah, and the armor was empty inside."

"Bu-but that had to have been some kind of trick. You know, like a string or something."

Neji pressed on. "No. I saw something with my Byakugan. I could see the cursed warrior, but I could not make out any form of life inside the armor."

Naruto paled next to him while Kakashi glanced down at the three of them. "I see. Then you guys really did encounter a ghost."

"N-n-no way!" Naruto cried as he shook his head in disbelief. "You mean to tell me I came face-to-face with a _real_ ghost?!"

Kakashi sighed. "Calm down, Naruto."

"T-th-there's n-no way that's true! N-no way!" Neji contained his amusement as Naruto began to panic in a similar fashion to when they first met the cursed warrior. His legs were shaking; he was sweating; his voice was screeching at a painful frequency; his face was devoid of color. He took more pride in Tenten's reaction as she rolled her eyes and turned her back on the hyperventilating ninja.

"Someone please tell me this is just a really bad joke!"

Neji wanted to tell him that he was right, that this was all a really bad joke. But for now, he was quite content watching him squirm in fear.

And he would tell it once more if he ever tried to come between him and Tenten again.

* * *

Once again, I cannot tell you how hard this was to write. I'm still not fully satisfied with it, but I really didn't know what else to do.

As a heads up, the next chapter will be skipping over the Star saga, seeing as Neji and Tenten are barely seen together at all. I decided not to waste my time on it. And the only part I really liked about it dealt with Lee and Tenten creeping around the town. Especially in the barrel. Haha. So I hope no one is completely devastated with that.

Thank you all again for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**::A/N:: **Again, a great many thanks to all who have read so far! I'm notorious for not finishing lengthy stories, but you guys keep me going. Thank you!

I did skip the Star saga, even though I watched the episodes again. I just couldn't pick up anything to write about, so I gave up. That and I didn't like the saga to begin with, so two negatives there. So I picked up at the short snipet after Lee's dojo.

I wrote this a tad differently, more dealing with off screen time than what was in the episodes, minus two key parts. So I hope I did a good enough job, because I loved writing this chapter.

Thanks again and enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, it wouldn't be Naruto, but Team Gai.

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Seven_

He was running, and she was right behind him.

Something had gone wrong and they had been ambushed during the middle of the night after they had made a stop to rest. His Byakugan had not been able to detect them, but at least he had been extremely quick in grabbing his sleeping partner before the enemy had descended on them.

But they were hot on their tail. Neji grew frustrated the further he ran. Why hadn't he been able to detect them? They weren't even Jounin rank! And yet for some reason, he felt like his abilities had been rendered useless. He couldn't even focus his mind to form enough chakra to take to the trees around them in hopes of losing their enemy!

Thankfully, Tenten seemed to be feeling normal and was able to summon a few weapons which she hurled at the enemies behind them. They managed to dodge the attack, but it had given him enough time to make a sharp turn without them noticing. He pulled her around the tree he hid behind and wrapped his arms tightly around her to still her movements. A hand quickly shot up to her mouth before she could protest as the voices of the enemies drew closer.

His lungs rapidly expanded and contracted as he struggled to gain lost oxygen to his system. The adrenaline rush had reached its peak, his heart hammering painfully in his chest. What if they found them? He couldn't fight them, even as weak as they were. And he would not allow Tenten to fight them alone, just in case his judgment about their enemies had been incorrect.

The moments felt like hours, until finally, they disappeared. He let out a long breath in relief. But he knew he could not continue on with their mission. Not in his condition. He would have to return to Konoha and have Tsunade examine him.

He dropped his arms to his side, but he soon felt _her_ arms wrap around him. He jumped at the contact, and she noticed his tension and laughed.

"It's okay, Neji."

No, it was not okay. Something was wrong with him and he did not need her to be emotional _now_! But he did not push her away, or say anything to stop her. Even as his mind screamed at him to pull apart, his body moved on its own. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She squirmed to get comfortable in his embrace as he gently placed his chin on top of her head.

_Push her away! You're emotions are hindering your use of your abilities! Snap out of this!_

But he couldn't. He didn't want to. All he cared about was how he felt holding Tenten like this. How she fit perfectly against him. How he felt like he had been transported to another world, one where it was just her and him. He had never felt more…happy in his life.

"I wish we could stay like this forever. Just you and me," she whispered, a smile forming on his face.

"Then let's stay together. We can go and do whatever you want. Just so long as you're with me, I'm the happiest man alive."

She pulled away from him to look into his eyes. "Promise?"

_No, no, no! Can you not see your feelings are clouding your judgment?! Stop this at once!_

He lifted a hand to her cheek, bravely closing the small gap between them and ignoring the voices in his head. He titled her head and leaned forward. God, how long had he been wanting this, a chance to finally kiss the girl he had fallen for?

"Looks like I found you."

His head jerked up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Tenten quickly turned to face their enemy, one of the same ninja that had been following them only minutes before. Neji cursed under his breath; more so because of his intrusion than at the fact they had been discovered.

"You will both die here." The man charged at them, whipping out a dagger in the process. Neji swiftly moved in front of Tenten, his hand raised in his usual stance. If he couldn't use his kekkei genkai, he could at least use his taijutsu.

But then the man disappeared, and he swore once again. Without the use of his Byakugan, he was helpless. And not only was he in danger, but Tenten as well.

_Focus, Neji. Focus on regaining your kekkei genkai. Not her._

But she was all he could think about. All he wanted was to turn around, shove her into the tree he had hidden behind earlier, and finish where he left off. His heart ached with desire the more he thought about it, even with the threat from the enemy.

_Damn it, Neji, focus!_

He turned to face her. It could have been a simple genjutsu and the enemy was not around. He could have realized what he was up against and fled. Neji didn't care. He didn't care if he was watching their every movement. He _had_ to prove to Tenten exactly how much she meant to him, in the midst of danger or not.

When she smiled at him, his rational side lost to his personal want. He grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her against the tree with more force than he thought. But the smile never left her face. She draped her arms around his shoulders as he placed his hands on her hips, his body nearly touching hers.

_Stop, Neji! The enemy is still around! Do not let your guard down!_

He shoved the thought from his mind. He would not be denied a second chance to kiss her. But just as he made his move, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Before he could realize what was happening, the ninja thrust his dagger into Tenten's stomach.

"_Tenten!_"

He caught her as she fell limp in his arms, her weight causing him to drop to his knees as the enemy scampered away. He frantically put a hand on her wound to stop the blood flow, his eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears.

She coughed as her hand rose to lie on top of his. She smiled weakly at him, her hand tightening around his. "Neji…stop…please…"

No. He was not going to lose her, not after he finally had the nerve to express his feelings. He shook his head, a few tears falling from his eyes. He added more pressure to her wound, praying to anyone who would listen to spare her from her death.

She lifted her hand to his cheek and it brought him out of his trance. He met her gaze, surprised by the calm look on her face. "It…it's…okay. Please…"

He shut his eyes as realization hit him like an avalanche. He was going to lose her. She was going to die! All because he had been foolish enough to allow his emotions to get the best of him in the middle of a mission. He would never have a chance to hold her again, to touch her, to kiss her!

He could not stop the dam of tears as he gripped her hand tightly. "I am so sorry, Tenten. I should have been more alert. _Damn it_! I'm so sorry!"

"No…please…please don't be." Her voice was strained and it took every ounce of strength to even speak. "I…I'm glad…that I…that I got to…see you before…before I died."

But she shouldn't have been in this position. He should have protected her. He should have never allowed things to progress as they did. He was never going to be able to live with himself.

"N-Neji?"

She was growing weaker; the softness of her voice and the lightness of her hand were reminding him of how much time he _didn't_ have left with her. He began to shake in fear, his heart aching painfully.

His voice cracked when he replied. "Yes?"

Her eyes closed, and he tightened his grip on her hand. She wanted to tell him something, and he wanted to let her know he was listening.

And with her last breath, her last amount of strength, she whispered three words that froze him to the core.

"I love you."

-0-

Neji shot out of bed in a cold sweat, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. It took him a few minutes to realize it had all been a dream, that he was safe in the confines of his room. But…that dream had been so _real_! He could still remember vividly how soft her flesh had been, how he had been paralyzed with fear when the enemy had stabbed her, how cold her blood had been as it ran through his fingers.

He ran his hands over his face. He had to calm down. But how was he supposed to do so when every time he closed his eyes he saw her?! How was he supposed to focus on something else when all he heard was her voice?!

His emotions were getting out of control, and he figured that it was why he even had the dream in the first place. The reason he had not been able to employ his Byakugan had been because all of his attention had been solely focused on her! What if his dream was trying to give him warning to the possibilities that could have happened if he did not gain control over his emotions? But what was he going to do? He knew he had to tell her, regardless of how she reacted to his feelings. Perhaps being ridiculed or rejected was exactly what he needed to quell his raging emotions.

But…what if there was a chance she felt the same? What if his dream had not been a sick ploy by his rational mind? What if she actually cared about him? What if it was a testament to _her_ feelings?! Dream or not, he could feel the power behind her dying words. Did she really love him?

He shook his head. He would not allow that. The only reason he felt it necessary to express his feelings in words was to avoid a scenario similar to the one from his dream. His emotions were slowly getting the better of him, and he would _not_ allow them to endanger anyone.

He steeled himself. He had to tell her. There was no way around it. He glanced through the drapery of the window to estimate the time. The sun was glowing in its pre-dawn stage, his usual time to force himself out of bed. He took a few deep breaths before climbing out of his bed and heading towards the shower. He suddenly realized how sore his muscles were, and he was pretty sure he was not as sore before he fell asleep.

He slammed his fists onto the sink's countertop. What was wrong with him?! Why was he getting so worked up over his female companion?! Scratch that, he knew why. He finally had to admit to himself that he indeed had feelings for her, beyond that of a friend. But who could blame him? They worked extremely well together, and when Gai and Lee were around, they took comfort in knowing they were there for each other. They were training partners, they were mission partners. Most of Neji's time was spent around her! Something like this had to have been expected!

But he had not expected it, and it scared him to no end. He only wanted to be stronger, to make his father proud, to make a name for himself even though he was a branch member. It was something he _knew_ how to do. He would train. He would work with his family. He would better himself. But when it came to her…he was at a loss of what to do. And he hated not knowing how to handle himself because of it.

He tried to think of something else to avert his thoughts away from the subject. He stepped into the shower, allowing the warm water to relax his muscles and straighten out his thoughts. He began to plan out his day. He would meet with his family for breakfast. He would then return to his room to mediate, but he was likely to cancel that, seeing as his thought process was out of whack. He would instead find Tenten and talk to her first. He would clear his mind quickly so he could end the war of emotions in the pit of his stomach.

It was time these feelings came to an end.

-0-

Neji began his search shortly after nine. The Hyuuga's had sensed his wandering thought process and had asked if he was okay. Lying was not a strong suit for him, and his uneasiness at their questioning had only earned him more curious glances. Thankfully, Hiashi had intervened, allowing Neji time to excuse himself before more questions were tossed around.

As his search continued, a familiar sense of dread erupted in his stomach. He hadn't even been able to eat much of a breakfast because of it. He knew the quicker he found Tenten, the quicker he would be able to resolve these issues. But doubts kept flooding his mind. What if she didn't believe him, or laughed at him, or came out and said the same thing?! On top of that, he was not good with words, so what if he said something stupid, or said something wrong?

Well…it would have to do, because he was _not_ going home without putting these emotions to rest. He would not have another realistic dream like the one he had that night. And he would do whatever it would take to make sure of that.

He finally found her sitting on a bench outside the hospital. He swallowed his nervousness, took a deep breath, and walked up to her.

"Good morning."

It hadn't been his desired approach, but his mind jumbled up last minute. It had been the best thing he could come up with besides standing there silent like an idiot.

She smiled at him and his heart began to race again. It had been a similar smile to the one he saw in his dream. "Hi, Neji!" She shot up from her seat and stretched. How long had she been sitting there?

"What are you doing here?" he asked, curiosity winning the debate in his mind. Was something wrong with Lee?

"Oh, I…um…" She was hesitating, and for some reason, it terrified him. "I was waiting to speak to Sakura. That's all."

She failed to meet his eye, which worried him to no end. She was lying to him!

But she was clever and switched the topic. "What are you doing here?"

He was reminded of his purpose for seeking her out. He felt nervous, and Neji Hyuuga was _never_ nervous. She eyed him intently as he took another deep breath before addressing her question.

"We need to talk."

Her eyes widened at his statement. "Oh. Is something wrong?"

Everything was wrong! He was sick of feeling confused. He was sick of feeling lost. He was sick of feeling anything but his collected self! And he hated it even more because he knew the source was her, and he could not do a thing about it. Hell, half the time, he didn't even _want_ to do a thing about it!

That had to come to a stop, but he didn't know where to start. He didn't want to blatantly tell her that he didn't want to feel these feelings for her, but he didn't want her to misinterpret them if by some miracle she felt the same way. He needed her to know he cared, yes, but no more than a friend. Even if he sometimes acted like he would have wanted more, he would not allow it. It was for her safety as well as his.

But when she looked at him, he was at a loss for words. He looked away from her, his eyes falling to the bushes in front of him. She must have noticed his unusual behavior, because her face fell in worry.

"Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me?"

He closed his eyes and took another breath. He could not lose his resolve now. "There's something I need to tell you."

There was something about the way her eyes lit up in response that caused his heart to beat faster. She was quiet, but Neji caught a tint of blush on her cheeks. Was she already anticipating this?

He opened his mouth to speak before he lost his nerve again. But he was cut off when Tenten spoke up first.

"Oh, are you done? How did it go?"

He turned to the source of the footsteps, the reason Tenten interrupted him, and he instantly felt his blood turn cold.

_Naruto!_

He could feel his blood pounding in his veins. He fought to contain his building fury, but there had to have been steam coming from his ears. He was on fire. He didn't even know he could have been this angry unless someone had insulted his father, but he could have killed Naruto right then and there in a blind rage. He quickly turned his head away from him, the move so quick he felt a muscle snap in his neck. But he didn't care.

His muscles tensed painfully as Naruto spoke. "Tsunade says I am as healthy as can be! Isn't that great?!"

This was why she had been waiting here?! She had been waiting for Naruto?! He needed to leave now before he ended up killing them both!

He couldn't contain his venom from escaping into his voice. "Well, bully for you." As he walked away, he managed to catch Tenten's pained reaction. Well, she deserved it.

He walked back to his compound, avoiding eye contact with the other Hyuuga's. It was a pity Hinata had to stop him and ask what was wrong.

"Leave," he stopped when he realized he was shouting, his hands clenched tightly into fists, his fingernails drawing blood from his palms. But he did not need to take his anger out on Hinata. He forced himself to relax and he spoke again with less harshness than before. "I apologize, Hinata-sama. I need to be alone right now."

She reached out to try and stop him, but he walked away, leaving her staring after him. When he reached his room, he slammed his door shut and leaned against it, his anger now turning into a feeling he was not familiar with.

Heartache.

He let out another breath, his fists pounding on the wall next to him. How could she still be chasing after Naruto, after all Neji had been through with her?! What did she see in that…that…_child_ that she did not see in him?! He had done everything for her, he was losing his mind just thinking of her, and now…now he was reduced to an emotional wreck _because_ of her!

Whatever. He would train the rest of the day to vent his frustration. If she wanted to follow around Naruto in hopes that one day he would care for her the way Neji did, then he would let her.

But he would not be there for her when she realized her mistake.

-0-

His hand was sore from his open-palmed strikes on the poor tree he currently had beaten to pieces. Shards of bark cut through his flesh, but he didn't stop. He focused on the pain in his hand as his anger continued to fuel the strength of his assault. Anything was better than the pain in his heart.

He had been at it for hours. Sweat dripped down his face as his heart struggled to pump blood through his system. His muscles screamed for him to stop and take a break. But he never once slowed down. He couldn't. Any lapse in focus would allow his mind to wander.

He was so focused on his onslaught that he failed to sense someone approach.

"Hey! We were looking for you!"

_Naruto!_

He pumped more chakra into his hand and in one strike, he smashed it against the remnants of the tree, splintering the poor thing in half. His stomach churned with rage and as a result, he felt nauseous and light-headed. He took a deep breath to steady himself before he fell over, but his hands continued to shake in anger.

"What do _you_ want?"

"Man, what did I do to you?" Naruto asked, a slight hint of fear in his voice. Good. He had better be afraid. "You've been a complete jerk to me for a while now!"

He turned, a little too fast in his condition. He quickly regained his composure and glared at the boy in front of him. "I would advise you to leave before any more damage is done."

He held up his hands in defense, clearly intimidated by his glare. Before Naruto or Neji could say a word, Tenten appeared out of nowhere and stepped between them, her eyes meeting Neji's.

"Stop it."

His anger turned on her. "And you defend him?"

Naruto took a step forward, not about to be undone by a girl, but Tenten held up a hand to stop him. She turned and looked over her shoulder at him. "Could you give us a minute?"

The younger boy was reluctant to do so, but he finally walked out of the clearing, leaving the two of them alone.

Neji's fury came out full force. "What the hell were you doing with him this morning? And why the hell did you lie about?!"

She slowly turned to face him, but her eyes remained downcast. "Stop yelling. You'll attract attention."

He wanted to ignore her demand, but he knew that yelling was not going to get him anywhere. And all hell would break loose if Gai or Lee walked in on him screaming at their youthful flower.

He turned his back on her. "I'm sure you have better people to spend your time with. Don't keep him waiting." Even as he said it, he felt his stomach constricting in pain. A part of him wanted her to walk away, but another part of him was hoping she would say something in his defense.

His heart nearly broke at the sound of regret in her voice. "I'm sorry, Neji." He spared a glance over his shoulder, but she refused to meet his eyes. "I thought you were going to be mad at me if I told you I was waiting for Naruto. I hadn't been expecting him to come out so soon."

He couldn't take it anymore. He had to know. "Do you like him?"

It was unlike him to be so blunt, but he was hurt, and he was tired of playing these games with her, whether she was aware she was playing them or not. His question surprised her, which he had been expecting.

But he did not expect to hear her laugh. "You're joking, right?"

No, he was not joking. He wanted certainty. No more half-hearted answers. She could have simply been embarrassed. "No, I'm not. You have been spending enough time with him to cause suspicion. You seem rather fond of him as well."

She stared at him, eyes and mouth wide. "You're really asking me this?"

He fully turned to her, his eyes narrowing. "Answer my question, Tenten."

And she met his gaze with one that matched his own. "No, Neji. I do not _like_ Naruto. He's a friend, and I have no idea how you even got that idea in your head to begin with."

He released a breath he didn't know he was holding after hearing her response. He felt an enormous weight lifted off his shoulders and he could finally breathe again. Well, just so long as she wasn't lying to him.

"And you're sure about this?"

A pang of fear struck his heart when she looked away. He was about to rephrase his question, but she spoke up first.

"Why does this matter to you?"

Now she was turning this on him. And even thought he had taken it upon himself to address the issue with her earlier, he now felt…insecure. He was afraid to bring the subject up. He knew the minute she denied any feelings for Naruto that he did not want her to respond in a similar fashion.

He wanted her to like him just as much as he liked her.

"Will you be honest with me, Tenten?"

She shrugged her shoulders, something she did not do often. "It's not like you will believe me anyway."

He sighed. The burning in his heart was getting worse, and he needed it to die out before it consumed him. "Do you want to know why this matters at all?"

Her eyes met his quickly, but she did not respond. How was he going to explain anything to her? He had it all planned out in his head earlier that morning, but now…he had to remember how to breathe!

She chuckled in his silence. "Look, I don't like Naruto, okay? I'm sorry if I've been giving you that idea. It wasn't intentional."

He already trusted her with her previous statement, but now his heart felt more at ease. Naruto would have to thank her as well. Because he was going to kill him if she had said otherwise.

"Now, we came to find you because I thought you would be hungry. We have a lot to talk about, too."

Before she walked away, he grabbed her hand to stop her. "I—," he began, but once again, he lost his voice when she looked at him. He averted her eyes, disgusted with his lack of composure.

She misunderstood his intentions. "It's okay, Neji. I can't stay mad at you for long."

But he did not let her go. He had to tell her now or he would never be able to tell her at all. "Remember when I told you I had something to tell you?"

He felt her tense in his grasp. "Um…yes?"

It was now or never. He took her other hand in his and slightly smiled as her face turned a light shade of pink. It helped ease his nerves, but he still braced himself for the worst.

"There was a reason behind my questioning about your relationship with Naruto."

She continued to stare at him as if he were a ghost. His hands tightened around hers in an effort to prove to her he was real.

This was real.

He heard footsteps approaching and he cursed under his breath. "Guys, I'm hungry! Can you—"

_Damn it, Naruto!_

Tenten quickly pulled her hands out of his as Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh. Sorry 'bout that! Didn't know I was interrupting anything!"

Scratch what he had said before. Naruto was a dead man.

-0-

They decided on Ichiraku's for lunch. Well, Naruto demanded, Tenten complied unwillingly, and he nearly stormed off.

But Tenten grabbed his hand, so, he decided to stay.

As soon as the steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of him, his stomach growled. He had forgotten exactly how little he had been eating lately, thanks to the girl sitting next to him. He ate quietly and simply listened to the conversation around him.

"How come you said his condition was grim?!" Naruto shouted angrily. If Tenten had not been sitting in between them, he would have hit him; his anger had not yet dissipated from earlier. And yelling at her was not appropriate. Only he was allowed to. "You made me think that he was…like…dying or something."

Tenten sighed next to him. "I know, I know, I'm sorry." Neji nearly choked on his food. She was _apologizing_ to him?! "He just looked so down when we saw him. Lee never looks like that, so I just thought that—," she stopped and looked down to her bowl. From what he could see from the corner of his eye, she looked…sad? Over _Lee_? When he was _fine_?! Is that why she didn't like Naruto, because of Lee?

He wasn't going to think about it, so he didn't. He focused his attention back on filling his stomach.

"I'd be down too, if I were coaching some kid who isn't even in the academy."

"Lee's coaching?" Neji couldn't contain his curiosity. How had he not known about that?

Tenten turned to respond. "Yeah, and he's only been training for a week."

"But he was really good. He pulled off this move…the, the uh—,"

"The cross block," Tenten answered in Naruto's silence.

"The cross block!"

Neji had to pause and ask himself why he was here. He did not need a play by play from either of them with their time spent together. Why didn't she find him and ask him to watch as well? Naruto was not a part of their team, but she apparently saw it necessary to invite him. And that angered him to no end, even after she told him she was not interested in Naruto beyond that of a friend.

"It's no wonder why Lee's so depressed."

He felt a pang of guilt in his heart. Lee? Depressed? The two words did not belong in the same sentence. He always did his best. He was always so energetic. He was always so hopeful. Neji thought there would be no way for him to make a name for himself, especially after his injuries with Gaara. But he did. He always found a way. And Neji respected that.

"If Lee were the type to let something like that get him down, he would have quit a long time ago." He really didn't understand why he was saying anything in Lee's defense, but he did not have the best handle over his emotions lately. The surprised gasps from Tenten and Naruto at his comment were all he needed to continue.

"All of his time at the academy he has been told he doesn't have enough talent to master ninjutsu or genjutsu. If I were in his place, I would have given up long before now. But hard work and perseverance can mean more than raw talent. I honestly believe that if he can just recover from his injuries, Lee may surpass us all."

He was expecting one of them to laugh, to ask him if he was okay, or if he was being impersonated. But they didn't. He actually got the opposite.

Silence.

He wondered if he had said too much, but a quick look from the corner of his eyes proved otherwise. Naruto wore a surprised expression, as well as a small grin. He even nodded his head in agreement. Great. Now Naruto would think everything was good between them again.

And then there was Tenten. He knew the look on her face. She was happy. Her eyes glimmered with admiration and pride. But what he didn't understand was that coloration on her cheeks. Was she embarrassed because she had been degrading Lee and _he_ stood up for him? He would have to ask later, and not in the presence of Naruto.

"Yeah, but…if he pushes himself too hard, he'll end up getting hurt again. Maybe beyond repair."

Neji had been surprised at her remark. It was as if they had switched points of view. Not even a year ago, Neji would have thought along similar lines, and the idea Lee should have stopped before he was injured. But he wouldn't have expected Tenten to have thought along those lines.

While he figured out his thoughts, Naruto jumped from his seat, causing Tenten to lean back towards him as the younger boy screamed in her face. "Why do you always have to be so negative?! It's like you're the voice of doom or something!"

_Voice of doom_? If Naruto wanted to hear the voice of doom, he would be more than happy to take over this conversation, and advise him to _never_ yell at his teammate in such a manner.

"I know, I'm sorry." And she was apologizing again? "I know that we have a lot to be thankful to him for."

He knew that tone. And as much as he didn't want to worry about it, it caused his heart to drop to his stomach. He hoped she would rephrase her statement so he did not have to draw false conclusions.

"I mean, after all, he did spare us from wearing those…outfits."

He instantly lost his appetite. He knew where this was headed. Whether or not he welcomed it over some confession to idolizing Lee…well…he wasn't so sure.

He pushed his nearly empty bowl away from him. "It's true. If Lee weren't here…" He didn't have to finish his sentence. He wished he hadn't even have spoken. The image of them both in those…_things_ invaded his mind and it would haunt him in his nightmares.

However, the image of Tenten in the spandex was one he would make sure would not disappear any time soon.

-0-

He was livid.

He was finding his anger to be a constant issue, and he hated it. Thankfully, he long since mastered the art of his calm composure on the outside, but even that was beginning to crack. He had slammed his payment on the counter after they had all finished eating.

Naruto had paid for Tenten!

He hadn't even thought about it; he didn't want to draw any attention to something so trivial that he knew was not so trivial. But for Naruto to do so, it infuriated him! He found little comfort in her attempt to convince him she could take care of herself; the deed had already been done.

Naruto had not seemed to notice. He refused Tenten's request and proceeded to buy her lunch, saying it wasn't polite for a guy to let the girl pay for herself. But Neji sensed an underlying meaning to his actions. And he wanted nothing more than for him to catch his underlying meaning from his deadly glare.

They parted ways shortly after; he stormed off without a word back to the training grounds to resume his routine. He didn't care where Naruto and Tenten went, just so long as they didn't go anywhere together. But his rage was so intense that it wouldn't have mattered. He could not have been angrier at Naruto if he had slipped off somewhere with her.

The shade of the forest foliage did nothing to ease his burning frustration. He walked towards the tree he had reduced to a stump earlier and sat down. He had to mediate, or his rage would never be satisfied until Naruto was begging for forgiveness. As much as the idea pleased him, he would not allow himself to that sink to that level. He was a proud Hyuuga, not some angry thug who believed violence was always the answer. He was afraid he would soon reach that point, and thus had decided to calm his mind.

He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes. So Naruto was being nice, to _his_ girl, but he highly doubted he did so out of spite. Naruto had found them holding hands earlier, so he hoped he was not the kind of person to take advantage of the situation. Even if that had been his intention, Tenten would clearly deny him, as she had told him. He really had nothing to be concerned about.

He soon realized the reason he had been so angry with Naruto over the idea of taking care of her tab was because he thought of it as well, but did not jump on it as quickly as Naruto had. He didn't want her to think she had to be taken care of; she could take care of herself, which was one of the qualities he liked about her. But if Naruto meant nothing by it and still acted the gentlemen, what did that say for him? Was she thinking that he would not do the same because it was too beneath him? Had she been expecting him to jump in after Naruto had offered so he could?

He was getting nowhere. All of his questions could not be answered by his own thoughts. He was half tempted to find Tenten and change that, but she was likely avoiding him because of his actions after lunch. He couldn't blame her, but he could still hope that maybe she would be worried and come check up on him.

He heard footsteps approaching and he held his breath, but remained in his meditative stance, just in case it really wasn't her. He waited for what felt like hours before his guest finally spoke up.

"Thank you, Neji."

His eyes shot open in shock to find his green-clad friend smiling at him. Why was he thanking him? And why was he here? Where was Tenten?

He must have seen the lost look in his eyes. He leaned on his crutch to support his weight as he turned to walk away. "I heard what you said back at the ramen shop with Naruto and Tenten. I cannot express how thankful I am for your kind words, Neji."

Oh. He really didn't know what to say to him. Sure he had meant every word he had said, but he was not used to being thanked for anything. Especially Lee.

"I meant what I said. But you do realize if you keep pushing yourself like this, you're likely to suffer a more permanent outcome." He emphasized Tenten's point as well only because he really did not want Lee to reach that point. He never thought he would say it, but he could not picture their team without him. They needed him.

Lee's half-hearted smile worried him. "Yes, I know. Tenten said the same thing."

He quickly came to her defense. "She just cares about you and doesn't want to see you hurt."

His smile seemed to gain more strength at his words, a fact that stirred up his emotions once again. Why he had even said that, he hadn't a clue. He knew she cared for Lee, and he was sure Lee knew that as well. But it was not his place to state someone else's emotion as fact.

"Right. I thank you again, Neji. You will always be my rival, if not in strength, then in wisdom!"

He let the conversation end there as Lee hobbled away. He decided to return to meditation once he made sure Lee successfully disappeared from his vision without tripping or falling over. His mind was now somewhat cleared thanks to Lee, but in a matter of minutes, he was back to wondering when Tenten would check up on him. He then began to wonder if she even cared.

He would not allow it. He would apologize for his rude behavior. The sense of dread was beginning to swallow him whole. He would find her and hopefully achieve his goal for the day. His nerves began jumping at the thought, so much that he began to feel slightly sick. He needed to suck it up one last time and end it for good. He had to, or he would be doomed to feel miserable for the rest of his life.

He brushed off his clothing as he stood up. He began to walk out of the clearing and as he turned around a tree, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

"Tenten!"

She jumped as well, obviously not expecting to run into him. Did this mean she had not come to the forest in search for him? "You scared me!"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, no-so-patiently waiting for an answer.

She threw her hands behind her back. She had been doing it a lot lately, but he had yet to come to figure out its meaning. "I came looking for you. What else would I be doing here?"

He relaxed instantly, his heartbeat slowly picking up at the thought. "You could be here to train."

She shook her head. "But I'm not. The only reason I wasn't here sooner was because Naruto was adamant about me not paying him back. I had to go back to the shop and have a nice conversation with the owner who will give Naruto a free meal the next time he stops in."

Another wave of relief flooded over him. She had not accepted Naruto's kindness after all. But still, the idea that she at least knew he would have been willing to offer to pay for her was eating at him. He would have done the same, but she did not know that because he had kept his mouth shut.

Still, he couldn't help but smirk at her story. "I see."

Then it was silent. Not a comfortable silence they usually shared, but an extremely awkward silence that Neji thought would consume them both if it lasted any longer. He could practically feel the tension on his chest and it literally became difficult to breathe.

She was the first to break the ice. "Well, I just didn't want you to think he was taking care of me because he liked me. It was unnecessary, but it's what good friends do. I know you and Lee would have done the same."

His heart dropped into his stomach. Him and Lee would do the same? Was she putting them on the same level as Naruto? Did she mean…she was just his friend, and nothing more?

It hit him then exactly how much he wanted her to return his feelings. The sick feeling in his stomach, the sinking sensation in his heart; he did not want her to reject him. He wanted her to want him. Earlier, he would have welcomed the idea and would have been thrilled with the thought of just being friends, good friends, but nothing more. But now, after physically hearing her say it, he couldn't be satisfied with it.

He had hoped she would have put him on a whole other level, even in comparison to Lee. The first time he had a chance to hold her when he thought he would never see her again; the time he shielded her from the collapsing palace and landed on top of her; even now whenever he held her hand, he noticed she was always embarrassed. The faint flush of her cheeks, the quick loss of eye contact, he had assumed was because she was nervous. He knew the feeling well, so he automatically predicted she had felt the same. That she would have wanted more than a simple friendship.

But how would he address it without having his pride and heart torn to pieces in the process? What if her nervousness was not because she liked him, but because she _didn't_ like him? His heart ached at the thought. What if he was in the wrong? How was he supposed to train with her, be around her, even look at her knowing she did not like him the same way he liked her? How would he feel if he was in her place?

He was going to be sick. He took deep breaths to calm his erratic heartbeat and the churning in his stomach.

"Are you okay?"

No, he was not okay! He had finally come to terms with his emotions, finally understood what he wanted, and now she had to bring that crashing down on top of him. Maybe she just needed more time, but by then, he was going to drive himself insane. However, he also knew the only alternative was to confess, and he already knew how that was going to end up. So he kept to himself and tried to force out a response.

"I'm fine."

It did nothing to ease her curiosity as she approached him. "You don't look so well. Maybe you're just worn out."

He was worn out. Emotionally. But she could not know. His reply came out too harsh, even to his own ears. "I told you, I'm fine."

She reeled back, as if he had slapped her, and dropped her head. "Neji."

He was digging himself into a hole every time he opened his mouth. And now, she thought he was mad at her. He took another deep breath before addressing her again. "Forgive me. Maybe I'm not well. I just have…a lot of things on my mind."

Well, he lied. He did not have a lot of things. Just her. She remained silent, her eyes finally lifting from the ground. She appeared to be waiting for him to continue. But he was terrified that once he started, he would not stop. He would tell her everything, and he could not allow that. Not when there was a chance down the road that she would one day return his feelings.

He kept his mouth shut. He watched her exhale and he swallowed hard when she approached him. She stood directly in front of him and they stared at each other for a while before he looked away.

He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt her take his hand in both of hers. "I know you well enough to know when you're lying to me, Neji."

She had him right where she wanted him. Now he really needed Naruto to come running in on the scene for any reason whatsoever! He needed someone to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life.

But Naruto did not show up, and he sensed Tenten's growing frustration. He was done for. He was going to spend the rest of his life in the Hyuuga compound after this. He would never talk to another soul again.

But just as he went to speak, an idea popped into his head. He would turn the tables on her. "How do you know I'm lying?"

It was a move he frequented when backed into a corner, and it usually worked on her. The surprise in her eyes had told him she had not expected it. Now he just had to hope it worked before he made a complete fool of himself.

"Well," she started, her eyes wandering around the forest. When she made a move to withdraw her hands, he grabbed one, and the move caused her to stumble forward into him, her other hand landing on his chest to balance herself.

He was hit with a severe case of déjà vu. It was overwhelming. The forest, the tension, the feeling of her being as close as she was; it was all similar to his dream. The feelings were just as intense in his sleep as they were at present.

As she made an attempt to push off of him, he wrapped an arm around her to stop her. She fell into him again, her head slightly above where her hand still rested over his heart. She tensed in his hold and he prayed that it was a reaction out of confusion and surprise rather than discomfort. When she made no struggle to escape, he bravely tightened his arm around her waist.

The second he felt her relax enough to rest her head on his shoulder, a feeling of immense happiness bubbled in his heart. Maybe there was still some hope after all.

He did not want to break the moment, but his heart desperately wanted her to know how happy he was simply being able to hold her like this. "Tenten," he whispered, his hand tightening around hers.

She remained still, but he could feel a smile work its way to her face. "You have something to tell me?"

He leaned his head against where she was resting on his shoulder. He just had to hope her actions were honest, and not because she was trying to be nice to him. "I do."

She chuckled into his shirt. "You don't have to be nervous, Neji."

She could probably feel his heartbeat. It didn't help his nerves, but it aided his cause. It was now or never, all or nothing, and he had her right where he wanted her. There would not come a better time than what he had now.

But coming out and saying _I like you_ was not good enough for him. He liked a few people, but she was on a different level. "I have been thinking a lot lately about some…issues that I thought needed to be brought to your attention."

He felt her tense again and he knew he said the wrong thing. He was giving her the wrong impression. He cursed his lack of intelligence when he let his heart speak for his mind. He made a mental note to work on that.

"Oh," was all she said. She made a weak attempt to pull away, but he managed to stop her. She stood up straight in his arms, her head lowered and her eyes avoiding his. He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts as to not make the same mistake again before he rephrased his remark.

"That's not what I meant. What I meant to say was—,"

"Neji! Tenten! Where are you?!"

Neji silently cursed his luck as Tenten managed to pull away from him completely. Before he even had a chance to explain, Naruto appeared next to them.

"Oh, good! I found you! We've got problems, guys!"

Neji glared at the boy…again. He was never going to confess his feelings with Naruto living. But Tenten quickly replied. "What's going on?"

She seemed unfazed at what had just happened, and as much as he didn't want it to, it bothered the hell out of him. She either had a damn good poker face, or she really didn't think much about the situation before Naruto intruded.

"It's Bushier Brow Sensei! That guy, Yagura, never made it to the village! He went on a mission with an imposter! We have to go tell him!"

Gai was not one to be outdone by some imposter, Neji was for sure. But Tenten and Naruto were the ones who had witnessed his power in his exhibition match against Lee. It was possible Gai could have needed their help, or was heading into a trap.

But Gai Sensei could wait a few more minutes. His feelings…no, they could not. He grabbed Tenten's hand before she could follow Naruto out towards the main entrance to the village.

"Wait, you have to let me explain."

She made no move to retract her hand, but her tone left no room for arguing. "We have to go, Neji. Gai Sensei could be in danger!"

She then pulled her hand out of his and took off after Naruto. And all he wanted was for the earth below him to swallow him whole.

* * *

This will be a continuation, in case you're wondering. But it might take me some time. I've got my finals this week and now I'm sick and a bunch of other drama, so I'm a bit preoccupied. I'm sorry.

Anyway, when I watched this episode, I nearly died when Neji angrily snapped at Naruto at the hospital. I just wish he didn't have his back turned to the damn camera so I could have been able to read his expression! But I loved it! I also kept the scene at the ramen stand only for Neji's speech about Lee. It wasn't necessary to my storyline, but more for his character. And I nearly had a heartattack, so that alone merits a spot in the story.

Hopefully everything flowed well together and it was all good! If I made a mistake, please let me know. I didn't do the best of jobs proofreading.

Thanks again to everyone!


	8. Chapter 8

**::A/N:: **Well...I'm still kickin'!

I am terribly sorry for the long time between updates. As I am sure many people expected, I have been in a funk over this Neji death ordeal. I'm honestly a firm believer he is still alive, or will be alive...but, yeah. I'm sure you know the feeling. And after each new manga update, I'm starting to lose hope in the series. But I will never change my views! Neji and Tenten forever!

Aside from that, life has been hectic, so I haven't had time to sit and write. And I can tell you know, I was not happy with this chapter at all. It was a pain to write, but it set me up for the next chapter, so it was needed. That and I needed to update, so I thought I would do so before I lost track of time again.

To all of you who still read this, you guys are my sunshine on a cloudy day! Thank you muches!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, well...simple. Neji would not have jumped in front of Naruto/Hinata to save either of them.

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Eight_

Neji was never a fan of his mentor, but he would never wish the man harm. However, even as he led Naruto and Tenten through the forest in pursuit of Gai, he still couldn't believe he was in any real threat. Or in any danger he couldn't handle himself. Which led him back to the question burning in his mind: _couldn't this have waited a few more minutes?_

He was mildly surprised at how well he was able to focus, seeing his train of thought that day had only been a jumbled mess. On top of that, he finally reached a point to confess his feelings for the girl trailing behind him, but alas, the mission had taken priority. He thought it was simply because he now had something else besides her to focus his attention on, but he knew that was not all of it. He _wanted_ to focus on something else to avoid that pain in the pit of his stomach.

_What if she doesn't return my feelings?_

He refused to answer his own question, and she had already made it perfectly clear that this mission had to take precedence. And so he fought to keep his emotions in check…again…as he forced his way after his sensei.

"Hey, Neji! You sure this is the way Bushier-Brow Sensei would have taken?" Naruto asked from behind him. His rage not yet quelled from the day's events, he took a second to rationalize to himself before he lashed out at the boy. This was a mission, and Naruto was asking a question in regards to that. It had nothing to do with Tenten in any way, shape, or form.

"This is the quickest way for him to reach the Land of Mountain Streams. He had to have taken this path."

"Well, there is another way," Tenten added, and the mere sound of her voice caused all sorts of unwanted feelings to emerge from his heart. "You can get there is you pass through the mountains, but, he wouldn't take that way unless he wanted to get himself killed. It's way too dangerous."

Once Neji focused on her words and not the way her voice made his heart beat a second faster, he quickly realized what she said. _"He wouldn't take that way unless he wanted to get himself killed. It's way too dangerous." _

This _was_ Gai Sensei they were talking about.

He came to an abrupt halt and barely managed to maintain his balance on one of the branches. He held back a smirk when Naruto was unable to follow suit and fell to the ground beneath him.

"What the hell, Neji?" he grumbled as he struggled to lift himself off the ground. "Why did you stop?"

Neji bravely turned to Tenten, silently praying that he would be able to keep his mind focused on Gai and not on her. She seemed as confused as he had expected her to be, which in turn, did nothing to help his state of mind. He was growing fond of that look on her face. He cursed under his breath as he looked away, Naruto finally jumping to the tree branch next to him.

"Hello?! You plan on telling us what's going on?"

For once, he thanked Naruto for his outburst. It helped put his mind back on track. "If we had been chasing after anyone else, this route would have been the quickest. However, we are chasing Gai Sensei." He turned his gaze towards the mountain range that could barely be seen through the foliage. "He would have taken the route through the mountains."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement and Tenten dropped her head in defeat. "I should have known Gai Sensei would not have done things the easy way."

Naruto added to her comment. "So, what do we do?"

Neji knew trying to find Gai in the mountains was damn near impossible. That and he was not going to risk putting them in danger because of his sensei wanted to make his trip more of a challenge.

Tenten did not agree. "Well, if he went that way, we should follow him. We won't find him looking through the forest."

But he would not allow it. "It's too risky to attempt to follow him through the mountains. We will exit the forest and backtrack towards the mountain range until we find him."

"We'd be wasting time, Neji," she retaliated. "We need to reach him as soon as we can. And this is the quickest way to get there."

Something about the way she addressed him stirred up some leftover anger. Sure they argued about tactics and such on missions, and she was mentioning a valid point. But he couldn't help but note the tone in her voice. Like he was stupid for even suggesting another approach.

When he turned to her this time, his emotions were shielded under a cloak of anger. "Do you want to endanger our lives for a quicker route? If Gai Sensei was stupid enough to take a different route to fulfill his idea of 'living on the edge,' then I'm sure he can wait for help, if he needs it, which I am not so sure he does."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're forgetting that he took Yagura with him. We don't know who this guy really is, Neji. He could be some weakling Gai has already taken care of, but what if he's not? What if he is outmatched and outclassed? Just because he likes to make a challenge out of everything doesn't mean we should take our sweet time reaching him."

"You're saying you would risk your life in an unknown terrain, which you already referred to as dangerous, to save our sensei from some imposter who managed to defeat a crippled Lee?"

Naruto must have sensed the hostility growing around him. He jumped between the two of them, his hands held up in defense. "Come on guys. The more you sit and bicker about what to do, the more time we are wasting. And Tenten does have a point, Neji. We saw that guy fight, and he was pretty good."

Naruto _would_ take her side. Before he could comment, Tenten spoke up first. "If he intended to infiltrate our village and lure Gai into a trap, he must have done his research and he probably has a good plan. Gai Sensei could be in serious trouble."

He understood where they both were coming from. But he was not convinced. Gai was a powerful man, even to someone like Neji. He might not have been the smartest person, or the best person to hang out with, but Neji knew if he got himself into trouble, he could manage his way out. The fact they felt the need to rescue him proved they didn't think Gai was capable enough. Which Neji believed he was.

He turned his back, his arms folding across his chest. "I will not jeopardize this mission and our safety. We will continue through the forest and—"

"Well, I'm going through the mountains." Neji quickly turned to Tenten, completely shocked at her interruption. This was the first time she ever defied his authority, and he didn't know how to take it. "It's a risk I'll be willing to take to offer my help. He would do the same for us."

She turned and began heading in the direction of the mountains. Angrily, Neji called after her. "If you get yourself killed in the process, don't think that we will go looking for you."

The second he realized what he had said, he wanted the ominous thunderclouds to strike him. He had been upset with her rebellion, yes, but she was only doing what she thought was best. And he lied. He knew that even if she left the group on her own in search of their sensei and ended up getting hurt somewhere along the way, he would not stop searching until he found her.

Naruto's jaw dropped to the floor, but he wisely said nothing. He waited for what seemed like hours before she turned around to face him once again.

"Please, Neji," she said, a faint smirk forming on her face. "If by some odd chance I get hurt before I reach Gai Sensei, you'll be the one carrying me back to Konoha quicker than Gai or Lee could ever dream of."

And then she took off, leaving Neji speechless and Naruto fighting off the urge to laugh.

-0-

They had reached Gai Sensei in less than thirty minutes cutting through the mountains. Neji grimaced as he realized the blow to his ego. Tenten would never let him live this down. If they had gone along with his plan, they would have probably just left the forest. But they didn't say a word to each other about the issue. They had more pressing matters to deal with.

Three ninja stood outside a wooden hut as they landed a few meters behind them. The three turned to face them as Naruto called out to the one he seemed to recognize as the imposter. However, Gai Sensei was nowhere to be found. He quickly activated his Byakugan to take a closer look at the wooden structure. Just as he had anticipated, they had somehow managed to trap Gai inside as the old man dodged attacks from pointed chunks of wood.

He was not impressed, but he did not speak of it. This could have just been some basic jutsu and with their presence, the enemies could have felt threatened enough to step up their game.

"Gai Sensei is trapped inside that structure," he spoke out loud to alert his teammates of the situation. "They have infused the walls with chakra, bombarding him with wooden spikes and projectiles."

Next to him, he saw Tenten reach for a scroll. "Not on my watch." He watched with pride as she released a hoard of weapons directed at the three ninjas keeping Gai moving around to avoid being injured from inside the hut. With the lapse of concentration on their part, their assault came to an end and Gai would be safe for the time being. Now all they had to do was defeat them and end the mission for good.

But as they charged to attack, several, if not a hundred wooden poles emerged from the ground in front of them. What the enemy planned to do with them, he honestly had no idea. But he knew they weren't using them for decoration. They had to have been up to something.

And then there was Naruto. "Heh. You really think using these big chopsticks are going to stop us? Please." Neji did not know how he came up with chopsticks, but before he could even think more on the issue, Naruto charged at one of the poles. After careful thinking, it finally clicked.

_Training dummies!_

"Wait, Naruto!" but his warning was too late as one of the poles extended to punch Naruto in the face. Had this been a somewhat lighter situation, he would have laughed. He did smirk though as the younger boy fell to the ground.

Tenten fell into battle stance the same time he did as the poles took form of the familiar training dummies he had seen before. Once again, he was disappointed. There was no way this could have proven a challenge. There were hundreds of these things surrounding them, and he knew that there was no way three ninjas could have controlled them all. It wasn't possible.

"Are these things puppets?" Naruto asked, his hand still covering his face.

Tenten replied first. "There's no way these guys can be controlling them all at once."

He agreed with her and activated his Byakugan once again. He found chakra tags on the back of their heads, limiting the dummy to a certain movement. It was like a training session with Gai all over again.

He informed Tenten and Naruto of his findings, and he could practically feel the relief from them both. This was going to be easy.

Naruto began the assault as multiple clones popped out of thin air. Now things were going to be too easy. With Naruto's clones and Tenten's weapons, they could have rendered all of these dummies useless in seconds. As easy as everything seemed to appear, and as much as he wanted to believe this was the extent of their enemies abilities, his question of how Gai Sensei fell victim to this assault forced him to be prepared for anything.

The dummies were dropping like flies in the span of a few minutes. Tenten smiled as the last dummy in her range of attack slammed into the ground. "Man, this is way too easy." And he couldn't agree with her more. Perhaps the enemy had underestimated them, badly at that. Or perhaps they thought to intimidate them with numbers. Whatever the case, they should have stepped up their game by now, which led him to believe that this was their extent.

He slammed a palm into another dummy, knocking it over. How much longer did they intend to keep this up? He wasn't even breaking a sweat, and he was growing agitated quickly. He wasn't even using half as much chakra in his Jyuuken as he would a normal opponent. He swiped his feet under a few more dummies that charged at him when he heard an all too familiar 'pop.'

A clone had been defeated.

But how? How had one of Naruto's clones suffered a strike from a repetitive dummy? He assumed Naruto had made a slight error which resulted in the loss of one of his clones, until the boy shouted at him.

"Be careful, guys! Some of these things are acting on their own!"

Acting on their own? But this was no puppet master jutsu, so how was that even possible? He turned to Naruto, but was surprised when he instead saw a dummy lunging at him. Caught completely off guard, the dummy slammed a plank into the side of his head, knocking him to the ground.

The pain was immense and for a few seconds, he couldn't even see. He cursed under his breath as he struggled to fight the throbbing in his head. He felt slightly sick to his stomach and his vision was distorted. He had to get up, but every muscle in his being seemed nonresponsive.

He managed to shake his blurry vision as he got to his knees. His arms and legs were still shaking from the attack, but at least he was able to move, even if it was a little. His head was still pounding, but he figured he was going to have to suck that one up.

Then, he heard Tenten call out to him, and he watched in panic as a dummy slammed itself into her stomach.

He instantly felt guilty. He had lowered his guard and had deserved the smack to his head, but she only fell victim to an attack because she was worried about him! He knew she would have avoided it otherwise, but his crack in defense had punished her as well. And that did not sit well with him at all.

He slammed his palms into the ground and forced himself to his feet, ignoring the burn in his muscles and the sharp pain in his head. They needed to regroup and plan out another strategy, but more than that, he wanted to make sure Tenten was alright. He assumed she would be fine, she was one tough girl, but he wanted her to _know_ he was worried.

They were forced back to back as the few dummies remaining encroached on them. They had cut the numbers down drastically. However, quite a few still remained. And each had their own thought pattern and movements. It was as if they were fighting another person. He did not know much about the puppet master jutsu, but he knew things were definitely not going to be as simple as they had previously been.

Before the dummies could even make a move, a large crack came from behind the group, followed by wood chunks flying into the air. Someone was breaking the dummies! But who in the world would have followed them way out into the mountains to offer help? Not that it was really needed, but still. Was it another enemy they had to deal with?

The sound came to a stop and Neji stared in shock and awe at the form to his side. "Lee?"

Now things really were going to be difficult.

-0-

Even though the mission was over, Neji still felt dissatisfied. They didn't defeat their enemies; they were taking them back to Konoha with them to treat their injuries. Lee had been the one to officially save their sensei while the rest of the group continued to beat up wooden poles. Yes, the mission was successful, but it had truly proven to be a complete waste of his time.

He was not happy as he followed behind an exuberant Lee and Gai. Sakura was a few feet next to them, her medical team carrying the phony Yagura on a stretcher. Lee even had the nerve to chat with the enemies, since their intentions of trying to kill Gai Sensei had been inaccurate, and now they seemed to be a friendly bunch.

But what irked him the most was that they had not really been needed. The fact that his earlier situation in the forest with Tenten was brought to a halt to assist their sensei who didn't even need rescuing angered him. He could have finally ended this war of emotions, but this damn mission screwed him over.

He was too caught up in his dilemma he failed to notice Lee call out to him. "Right, Neji?"

His eyes met those of his teammate as the green-clad boy smiled at him. He had no idea what he was talking about, and he really didn't care to find out. He simply shrugged his shoulders and within a few seconds, Lee was talking to his new "friends" like he never acknowledged him.

"Are you okay, Neji?" Tenten asked from beside him. He had completely forgotten she was even standing next to him. He turned to face her before he spoke up.

"I'm fine."

He walked a few steps before she chuckled behind him. "If you say so."

She picked up her pace and passed him to join in on Lee's conversation. Something about the move set him off again. If she hadn't pushed them to rush to Gai's aid, he could have gotten everything off his chest. And then she just acts like nothing is wrong and instead of walking his pace and talking to him, she walks ahead to talk to Lee! He should be blaming her for his mood.

He tried to push the issue aside. This had not been the most productive mission, so his disappointment was adding fuel to the fire. But she seemed to be acting in spite, and he hated it. Especially since she was the one who was in the wrong! She was lucky that there was an audience, because otherwise he would have unleashed a fury of words in her direction.

They stopped for a break after a few minutes of walking. The medical staff inspected the enemies' wounds and chakra damage, and Lee and Gai, being Lee and Gai, made the most out of their break by challenging themselves to a thousand push-ups. Naruto eagerly assisted Sakura, which in turn, caused Lee to do the same. Neji sat himself as far away from the group as he could, his back leaning against a tree as he closed his eyes to mediate. Or to at least kill the fire burning in his chest.

Minutes felt like hours until he heard Gai reach the last of his push-ups. "YOSH! Let us continue towards the village with all of our passion and might!"

Lee jumped in after his sensei. "Yes, Sensei! Let us double our efforts to reach the village twice as fast! If I cannot do this, I will force myself to do one thousand sit-ups!"

Neji knew where this was going, but thankfully Sakura was with them and angrily protested against their ridiculous ways. "I don't think so!" He watched her point a finger in Lee's face to illustrate her point. "If you push yourself too much, you're going to end up right back in the hospital and Tsunade will ban you from going on missions for months! You shouldn't have even come out this way!"

Gai merely laughed. "That's what makes Lee special. No amount of pain and suffering would ever stop Lee when someone he loves is in danger! He is truly a splendid ninja!"

He knew the second Lee's eyes teared up, an onslaught of "Lee!" and "Gai-Sensei's!" were in the making. And he refused to take part in another portrait of sunsets and waves of youth.

So he simply left the group staring in surprise as the two hugged and distorted time itself. He did not want to waste anymore time babysitting the two beasts.

He didn't walk far, but far enough to be out of the picture. He would give them a few minutes, but if they didn't follow, he would head towards the village on his own. It wasn't exactly protocol to wander from a squad, but he wasn't in the mood to care.

But he soon noticed he was not alone. "What do you want?"

Tenten sat down across from him at a safe distance, which didn't sit well with him. He wasn't dangerous or anything, so why had she felt the need to distance herself from him?

She leaned back against the tree behind her, her hands resting behind her head. "I didn't want the crashing waves to get me wet, so I escaped here."

If he wasn't so angry, he might have smirked at her comment. But he didn't. "And you just had to pick the spot in front of me to escape to?"

She didn't respond to his question, and after a few minutes he grew impatient. "What do you want, Tenten?"

Again, he was met with silence. He couldn't read her expression either. She appeared as if she wanted to say something, but what, he couldn't tell. But he was tired of waiting.

Before he could speak, she beat him to it. "I know you're mad at me, but I didn't do anything wrong." She slowly got to her feet and looked him square in the eye. "I wanted to help Gai Sensei, and you wanted to take your time. If we would have gotten there sooner, maybe we could have stopped them from trapping him inside that building."

His anger slowly began to boil within him once more. "Those guys weren't worth our time. Gai could have lasted days without being injured. All we managed to do was waste our time."

She returned his glare with one of her own. "You wouldn't have known that. You can only say that now because it's over. You wouldn't be acting like this if that had been me or Lee held captive."

Well, he wasn't so sure about Lee, but he knew he would have rushed to her rescue the second he knew she was in trouble. But she did not need to know that. "It was Gai. And he was fine."

She sighed angrily, shaking her head in frustration. "You're like a whole different person, Neji. You've been so angry as of late, and I have no idea what anyone has done to piss you off so much."

He felt his control slipping as he clenched his fists tightly at his side. She had to have known why he was acting so strange. Why he had been so angry with Naruto. Why he had been so frustrated during this mission. It was all because of her! Because he could not keep his emotions at bay and now they were taking over him! How the hell could she not see that? Especially in that short time he was able to hold her before Naruto brought this mission on them!

"You understand nothing." His voice was low and venomous, to the point where he saw her flinch. How could she be so dense? He practically came out and told her how he felt. He put his arms around her, which he _never_ let anyone that close to him! His heart hammered in his chest. Perhaps she really didn't feel the same towards him and was playing his heart.

She took a step forward, her eyes never leaving his. "I'm beginning to think that maybe _you_ don't understand what's wrong with you."

He snapped. "I understand exactly what's wrong with me! I know why I've been angry with certain people, and I know why I haven't been myself lately. Don't you _dare_ tell me I don't understand when you have no idea how I'm feeling!"

He slammed his fist into a neighboring tree, causing her to jump. He had never yelled at her like this before, or at anyone now that he thought about it. But in his defense, it felt good to finally let out his pent up frustration.

He expected her to retaliate, as she had been doing as of late. After a few minutes passed and she had not spoken, he grew worried that he had upset her. He was afraid to look at her. What if he had taken it too far? He could have simply addressed the issue in a calm matter, but he was so tired of fighting a battle of emotions. He was tired of everything fighting against him. He was tired of waiting for the end to come.

"I thought I did," she started, her voice catching him off guard. "But it seems I was wrong."

Before he could say anything to her, she turned her back and walked away.

* * *

Like I said, not the best chapter, but the ending set me up for what's to come. Now I just hope it wasn't burning material, even though...it is pretty cold here...hmmmm...

Anyway, I hope to update again soon...HOPE being the key word! Assuming school and my trip planning all goes well :)

Thanks again!


	9. Chapter 9

**::A/N::** Huzzah! I have another chapter done!

Thank you all for the nice reviews and all sorts of goodies. It made me postpone my homework and projects and be late for work to write this! But it is all worth it!

I was originally going to skip the Konoha 11 filler because of the lack of Neji and Tenten moments. However, I figured it would be a good drama chapter. Hence the previous chapter's set-up. It took me a while to figure out how I was going to go about this chapter and all the situations that came out of watching these episodes, but I did like this chapter. So I hope it makes up for the crappy one I wrote last time.

Thanks again for reading! Hopefully more will be up soon!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, the spin off would be the original series. Because that series is WAY better!

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Nine_

Neji always heard the saying, "It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all," but he had no idea where he would have put himself in his so-called "relationship" with Tenten. They both had been avoiding each other; she trained with Lee and he trained with his family. He really never left the compound, except on rare occasions, make that once, to escort Hinata to some place in town. He saw her that time in passing, but she apparently didn't notice him, or did a good job hiding it. Regardless, neither had spoken to the other in days.

However, the issue plaguing his mind had been whether or not she actually knew he cared about her. He thought she had to have known by now, so why was she avoiding him? If she knew him as well as he thought she did, she had to have known he was not a pro at this kind of thing, nor did he even have the slightest idea of how to progress with it. The fear that she knew but did nothing in return scared him. Did this mean she knew he liked her, and that she did not feel the same?

He desperately wanted to seek her out, to ask what exactly she had meant when she told him that "she had thought wrong". A part of him guessed that she had been correct with her assumptions, but the fact that she thought she could have been wrong about them caused him to worry. He did not mean to yell at her that day, but in a sense, he was ashamed of himself and could not bring himself to apologize. But he wanted _her_ to seek him out, to prove to him that she would still be there for him.

But she never came.

He sat up in his bed, sleep something he knew would not come with his mind as restless as it was. The only chance he had for summoning the courage to say anything to her, or vise versa, was if they were forced to work together again. He silently prayed since that day that Tsunade would call them on a mission, even if he had to endure it with Lee. Then they could at least work their way out of this and possibly get to where he had wanted to be before he dug himself into a grave.

As soon as the thought came to his mind, he felt a chill run down his spine. Something was happening. He quickly shot out of his bed and exited his room quietly, so not to disturb the sleeping family members. It was late, and he had no idea what could have possibly sent his senses into high alert. He just hoped it had nothing to do with Tenten, that she was okay. But the feeling wasn't as intense as the times he thought her life was in danger, so he tried not to think too much on it.

"Neji? What are you doing up at this hour?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin, but he hid it well. He quickly turned to find his uncle smirking at him. Damn. He must not have hid that well enough.

"I feel like there is something going on," he replied, his voice nearly drowning in the sound of his heartbeat.

Hiashi's smile disappeared instantly. "There is nothing that you need to be worried about. There is a situation. However, it is under control."

That did nothing to quell his curiousness. "A situation, Hiashi-sama?"

But his uncle did not comment any more on the issue. "You should head to bed, Neji. I'm sure tomorrow will be another busy day for you."

Neji wanted to say something more to convince his uncle to inform him on this "situation," but he suddenly felt tired. He watched as Hiashi disappeared from view, then he slowly walked back to his room. Hiashi was right. If something serious was going on, he was likely to hear about it the next day.

Now sleep just had to get him there.

-0-

A pounding on his window jolted him out of his slumber. He sat up quickly, but he made no effort to see who needed to talk to him. He was tempted to ignore them; they had woken him from one of the best sleeps he had had in days. But the pounding did not stop, and he was forced to get out of bed. He paused for a second, wondering why someone was knocking on his window. It meant that someone wanted to see him, yes, but it was not a Hyuuga member. His heart quickened at the thought. It could have been Tenten!

He was extremely disappointed when he saw a smiling Lee on the other end of his window.

"Good morning, Neji! Did you sleep well?"

Surely Lee did not come this way to check up on him. "What are you doing here, Lee?"

His smile vanished and was replaced with a serious look. "I am here because of the security alert. Shikamaru has asked us to gather for a meeting. It has something to do with the Black Ops mission last night."

_Black Ops? _He had a feeling something was up when Hiashi acted so serious the night before, but he had no idea it was in the hands of ANBU's finest. The mere thought made him worry about what kind of danger the village was actually in.

"Give me a minute," he responded as he turned around to gather his things before leaving for the day. What could have possibly happened last night? He followed Lee out of the Hyuuga estate before he spoke up again. "Are you going to fill me in?"

He could have sworn Lee nearly had a heart attack on the spot. He choked on his own words in surprise. "You do not know, my dearest rival?"

Well, now he felt like an idiot. But he had already put himself out there. Might as well not be left in the dark forever. "If I did, I would not be asking you to tell me what's going on."

Lee continued to stare at him in shock, but he quickly shook his head and replaced his confusion with his usual cheery expression. "How I never thought a day would come when I would know more than the all-knowing Neji Hyuuga!"

"Lee, tell me what's happening."

He left no room for arguing, but Lee managed to find a way around it. "I do not understand why you are not up to date with village concerns, Neji! Has your youth wilted away?"

He had a feeling Lee would never tell him what he needed to know, so he opted to remain silent. He would just have to stay quiet until he was able to piece everything together to formulate his own conclusion.

He stopped dead in his tracks as Lee addressed him once more. "Could our youthful flower be a reason for your wilting, my youthful rival?"

The first thought that entered his mind was, _How the hell did Lee figure _that _out?!_ He would have understood someone like Naruto or Shikamaru managing to see right through him, but _Lee?_ Was he really that easy to read when it came to their female companion?

Neji turned to him quickly, causing Lee to take a step back. "Where the hell did that come from?"

And Lee's smile only stretched further across his face. "I have noticed your bizarre behavior as of late, and I cannot help but notice that after our last mission together, the two of you have been avoiding each other! It breaks my heart to know that you were so unyouthful in your ways to yell at her in such a manner! But I can also see that you are consumed with guilt!"

He folded his arms across his chest. "I assume she told you about that incident."

Lee gave him a sad look in return, as if he would soon burst into tears. "I shed many tears of sadness at the story! My dear Neji, what could have motivated you to break her heart with such anger?"

_Break her heart? _What all had she said to Lee? And why was she taking comfort in _his_ presence? …And how the hell had this gone from a serious topic of village safety to the concern of their non-existent relationship?

But he would not allow Lee to gain access to his personal affairs. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Lee, however, was determined to find out. "I can see that this has taken its toll on you as well! You have not been yourself lately and I can always see that look of caring and love in your eyes every time you look at her!"

Now Lee had taken it too far. "I don't love her. She is my friend. Nothing more."

His words came out quickly, but they slapped him in the face just as fast. Now Lee was going to tell her that he didn't care about her. The fact that Lee dropped his gaze to the ground in disappointment told him that much.

But wasn't this what he wanted? His first commitment had not been to have her like him equally in return, but to tell her that he only wanted her friendship through the years to come. Why did it matter to whom he told? He would have to tell her eventually, and Lee had brought it up on his own accord. However, he couldn't help but feel instant regret and shame for not expressing how he truly felt.

"I understand, Neji. It must be difficult to go from being such an unyouthful character to feeling mixed emotions about our youthful flower!"

He should have known Lee would not leave it at that. Neji decided to change the topic to avoid dragging out the conversation. "Where are we supposed to meet at? And who is all going to be there?"

It seemed to work in his favor. "Right. I will lead the way as soon as we pick up our bright and delicate little flower!"

Neji's heart sank into his stomach. As if Lee intruding on his personal life was bad enough, he now had to walk in proximity to Tenten? He could only imagine what Lee was going to do or say once she joined their little party. But, this would at least force her to talk to him, if the situation came up. Which with Lee, it always did.

"Do not be worried, Neji! My lips are sealed! I promise you, if I cannot refrain from spilling your secret, I will do five thousand push-ups on my thumbs before our meeting begins!"

He did not feel satisfied, even when he struck a Good Guy pose and his teeth nearly blinded him. He just had to keep Lee off the subject and all would be fine.

At least, he hoped so.

-0-

"Four thousand, nine hundred eighty-eight. Four thousand, nine hundred eighty-nine. Four thousand, nine hundred ninety."

He should have known Lee was going to say something the second they picked up Tenten. Hell, they hadn't even walked ten steps before the damn boy said something along the lines of, "Neji says he thinks of you only as a friend, but I think there is more to his words!"

He had been infuriated, so much so that he spoke up to defend himself. _"Why would I ever think that?"_ That did not go over nicely. Tenten had not taken his remark well, and the two just ended up yelling once again before Lee finally intervened.

He glared at the boy when they had arrived at the meeting place as Lee dropped to his hands and knees to begin his punishment. Shikamaru had only looked at Lee with confusion, but the genius soon became uninterested with the whole issue, claiming it was "too troublesome" to deal with.

Neji found a spot as far away from Tenten as he could find. She did the same. He received another curious glance from Shikamaru, but they both ignored him. Tenten began sharpening one of her kunai, and Neji couldn't help but notice the dazed look in her eyes. He heard her curse out loud quietly, but he managed to pick it up, as she nearly sliced her hand off.

He was hit with a wave of guilt. It was now obvious to those around them, Shikamaru, Shino, Kiba, and maybe even Hinata and Ino, that something was troubling her. All because of something stupid he told Lee. How long was he going to keep lying to her about his feelings? Before long, he was going to lose her as a friend completely. And he would not have that.

The need to pull her aside and finally tell her exactly what was going on in his mind and his heart was overwhelming. He didn't care that they were waiting to hear about what was going on, which he still did not know. He didn't care that the village was under an S-level security alert. All he wanted to do was come clean with her.

"Five thousand!" Lee lowered his legs and stretched out his arms. He wiped an arm over his face, and to Neji's surprise, he bounced right back into his work out formation.

"Five thousand and one. Five thousand and two."

"Man, what's gotten into you today?" Kiba asked as Lee continued his routine.

Neji wanted to kill the conversation before it got started, but Lee managed to respond first. "I must…punish myself for…failing to keep…Neji's secret."

He instantly felt five pairs of eyes on him. He was tempted to walk over to Lee and Jyuuken an open spot on his back. But he didn't. He just stood, leaning against the tree, and prayed that something would happen to divert attention off of Lee's statement. And him.

Kiba began to laugh and Ino clapped her hands together. "He has a secret lover, doesn't he?"

This time, Tenten did cut her hand. Once again, Lee's inability to lie only furthered Neji's humiliation. "Yes…yes he does! But...he is too…unyouthful…to admit it!"

Now everyone was laughing, except Tenten and Lee, and Hinata, who actually gaped at him. He was going to kill Lee when this was all over.

"Ne-Neji-ni-san…I-I had n-no idea." Since it appeared Hinata believed Lee's words, he was never going to be able to set foot inside the Hyuuga estate again!

Then Kiba had to throw in his two cents. "What kind of girl would even want to be with someone as cold hearted as you? Keep dreaming, Hyuuga."

The laughter subsided instantly and Neji could feel his blood boiling. He pushed himself off the tree he was leaning on and glared daggers at the younger boy. As if he had room to talk. What kind of girl would want to be with someone who kept a puppy in his coat pocket?

"I'm sure there are a lot of girls who would be attracted to someone like Neji." His words caught in his throat as he realized it was Tenten who came to his defense! She did not stand up, nor did she stop her task. But she knew she had everyone's attention, and Neji was dying to know what she would say next.

"Why were so many girls attracted to Sasuke? It's the same reason why there are some girls who want to be with Neji. Some of us like that 'cold-hearted' personality, while some of us want a guy who will always care. We can't help who we want to be with. And I don't think it's that different for a guy."

Neji stared at her, eyes and mouth wide. This had to have been some kind of genjutsu. She would _never_ say something like that. Never! Lee apparently thought the same; he fell on his face and gaped at her as well.

Kiba appeared to have been slapped in the face, which Neji took extreme pride in. "Please don't tell me _you_ are attracted to Neji?!"

Then it was quiet again. Everyone anxiously waited for her to respond. Neji held his breath. There was a good possibility she would say no, only because everyone else was standing around. But he also knew her not to care what other people thought of her, so it was very likely her response could have been an honest one! His heart hammered loudly in his chest as he waited for her answer.

He thought he was going to suffocate in the tension when she chuckled quietly to herself. "No, I'm not. I'm one of those girls who wants a guy who actually cares."

It was as if she took the kunai she was holding and stabbed it into his heart. He felt like he was dying. A guy who cares? He cared! He _always_ cared about her! Just because he had snapped at her didn't mean he had stopped caring about her! She even made the comment to him on their previous mission that if something were to happen to her, he would be the one to rescue her! Surely by saying that she knew he would do anything for her…

He fell back against the tree for support to keep from collapsing to the ground. He didn't know if she meant it. She did have a strange audience. But how could he ask her now? How was he supposed to approach her for honesty when he _knew_ she aimed the last half of her statement at him? It tore him to pieces knowing that she had made her stand…and she had witnesses to boot.

"Hey guys! What did I miss?!"

But Naruto had arrived ten seconds too late. Neji Hyuuga's heart had officially broken.

-0-

They were walking to meet with the main carpenter of the village, but his mind was elsewhere. He tried as hard as he could to not let it show, but in a way, he wanted Tenten to know exactly how much her comment had hurt him. He wanted everyone else to know how badly he was hurting, so she would realize the extent of her damage. But he was Neji Hyuuga, and he did not want everyone to know he was reduced to nothing because his teammate denied any feelings for him in front of them.

Thankfully, no one said a word to him on their walk, and even better, no one seemed to notice his strange behavior. Well, maybe it wasn't so strange; the younger ninjas didn't really know too much about him, so his foul mood was probably normal to them. Plus, they had a huge issue on their hands, and they didn't have the time to be worrying about his "love affairs". Hinata kept looking at him every so often, until Naruto said something, then her attention focused on him. Lee walked next to him, acting like he wanted to say something to him, but wisely chose not to. Neji wouldn't be in this predicament had he kept his mouth shut.

They reached the foreman's house quickly, which was a blessing to Neji. He desperately wanted something else to focus on besides the pain in his heart. He took the seat next to Chouji, more so because he was the only one he wouldn't kill at the moment, and he was thankful when Hinata took the seat next to him.

However, when Tenten took the seat directly across from him, he cursed under his breath. No, no, no! He wasn't going to be able to focus! Hell, if she was even in the same room as him, he wouldn't be able to pay attention. He pleaded silently for the meeting to begin so he could divert his attention to the matter at hand and not on the girl within his sights. Couldn't she trade places with Ino? At least then he wouldn't be able to see her when the meeting started.

Luck seemed to be on his side for the moment. The older man, the carpenter boss, handed Shikamaru a booklet filled with missing blueprints. He explained to them that Genno, the man in question for stealing the missing blueprints, was not working on any of the sites listed in the book. It made sense to him. The man was not from their land. Learning the ins and outs of building structures of important offices and people would be disastrous in the hands of the wrong person.

"Is there a chance he could have slipped his way in regardless?" Shino asked. It was possible.

But the foreman shook his head. "Our security is top notch around those structures. No one would have let him through."

Perhaps security wasn't enough. This man had been able to avoid Black Ops for weeks without getting caught. There was a chance that he had managed to sneak in and set traps to the structures without anyone knowing.

But then Neji made a mistake. He looked up, though not intentionally, just a natural reaction, at the girl sitting across from him. She obviously felt his eyes on her, because she quickly met his gaze. Another onslaught of pain slammed into him, and he knew he had to find a way out and he had to do it now. He quickly broke eye contact with her and forced himself to his feet.

"Excellent security or not, we should check just to be sure." His words came out quickly, and he received quite a few confused reactions. He didn't care. He needed to get away from Tenten as quickly as possible. This was his only legitimate escape route.

Shikamaru either didn't notice or didn't care and handed him the books containing the names of the structures with missing blueprints. His rational side kicked in as he extended a book towards Hinata to aid his cause. But a small part of him wanted to see what Tenten's reaction had been. And he was slightly disappointed when she appeared to have been unaffected.

"I think you're help will be most appreciated, Hinata-sama."

She nodded her head in reply and stood up as well. He handed her one of the booklets and quickly moved for the door. At least he could have some peace of mind while he inspected the buildings. There were quite a few of them, so time could not have been of the essence. He could work at his own pace.

Then Lee spoke up. "I would like to help you as well!"

_No, no, no!_ The mere thought of Lee working alongside him was insulting, especially after he had probably ruined his life! Maybe he could convince Lee, forcefully if need be, to go with Hinata. He would be fine on his own. And Lee would be able to live to see another day.

Then Tenten spoke up, and he knew he was doomed to suffer a long afternoon with Lee. But what angered him the most was that he didn't understand why she was willing to accompany them. Why didn't she wait and see what else she could have done? Needless to say, he knew better than to assume she would want to go with him, but still. Why make that risk when she apparently wanted nothing to do with him?

The four of them left the site and without any of them saying a word, Neji and Lee went in one direction and Hinata and Tenten in the other. Now he just had to hope Lee would stick to the mission and not bring up the conversation from the morning.

"I know she didn't mean it, Neji. I promise you that she is—"

He turned on his heel and uncharacteristically screamed at Lee. "Shut up. I don't want to hear another word about any of this from your mouth again. We are going to focus on this task and nothing more. Or I will be forced to leave you behind."

Lee fell silent and dropped his head, but did not say anything more. Neji turned around and started heading in the direction of the first building on the list. He did not have the time to be fighting with his heartbreak or Lee's attempts to make him see otherwise. This was a serious mission, and he would not allow outside thoughts to distract him.

And that's exactly what he did.

-0-

Neji could have sworn Shikamaru was out to get him.

He was forced to investigate the blast site where the old man was said to have blown himself up. With Kiba, Lee, and Tenten; all people he really didn't want to spend the rest of his day with. And even though Shino had not done anything to him, he still didn't want to be around him. He was half tempted to just head home and barricade himself in his room.

"This must be where the explosion occurred," Lee shouted. Neji wanted to say something smart in response, but he kept his comment to himself.

His Byakugan activated, he did a quick sweep of the area. Nothing. All they had to work with was burned trees and dirt. What was the point of even being here if ANBU had already done their own investigation?

He was slightly annoyed. Here he was with people who had ruined his entire day, maybe even his life, and they really had no need to be working together. Shikamaru had to have known, which caused him to mentally add the younger genius to his hate list under Lee and Naruto.

"Hey guys! Look at this tree!"

Hearing Tenten's voice snapped him back to the present as all four boys approached her. When she knew she had their attention, more so Neji's, she addressed them again. "This tree is burned on both sides."

Really? That's all she wanted to say? Of course they would be. There was a large explosion. Which meant there was fire, and in a fire, things got burned.

Kiba seemed to agree with his silent statement. "Well of course it does. There were a ton of paper bombs, so this is to be expected."

She defended herself. "Well, yeah, but why would be it be charred on both sides?"

She had a point, and he may have been a little too quick to defend her. "She has a point. If there was only one blast, there wouldn't be burn marks on the back of the trees as well."

The look she gave him was priceless. She appeared shocked that he one: acknowledged her, and two: spoke up in her defense. She looked uncomfortable for a moment, but after the initial shock wore off, she took a breath and nodded her head.

"These kinds of burns would only be here if there were multiple explosions from different sources."

"But," Lee started, "the ANBU said that all of the paper bombs were wrapped around his body."

Shino added to his comment. "ANBU also had to protect themselves from the explosion. They probably didn't witness the actual attack."

It all was starting to make sense. Since ANBU had not seen the actual explosion, it was hard to pin the assault on one particular blast. That much was clear now. But where had the other sources come from? And how was he able to set it all up so quickly?

They each took off in a separate direction to investigate. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he realized that Tenten was right next to him, the closest they had been in days. He caught her gaze for a split second in confusion, but she stopped and lowered her eyes. "Sorry." She then turned and headed towards another tree.

He stood frozen on the spot as he watched her walk away. A part of him was relieved to actually hear her talk to him, even if it was something as simple as an apology. But she really didn't have anything to be sorry for. They both happened to head in the same direction. It was merely a coincidence.

However, she actually sounded sincere, which bothered him the most. Ever since they regrouped after inspecting each building for traps, she had seemed different. He figured Hinata had to have said something to her, but he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It all came back to what he was ultimately avoiding.

Talking to her.

He knew there was no way around it if he wanted this nagging feeling in the back of his mind to go away. But he had been under the impression she wanted nothing to do with him, so why waste her time? Deep down, he knew it was more a fact of his pride; Neji Hyuuga could never be rejected. Perhaps Hinata had helped him in some way, which he would be grateful for. Only if it worked in his favor. Regardless, he at least needed to tell Tenten that he wasn't mad at her, just…confused as to what he should do.

But now was not the time. They had other issues to deal with. He focused his attention back on his investigation. It was now clear that most of the tress in the area had been burned on each side.

He had not been alone in his discovery. It appeared that the entire forest had contained double-marked trees. It made sense…but it didn't. A large explosion from multiple angles was likely the reason for the marks, but the biggest question in his mind was how. How had this man, chased by ANBU, found the time to set up the bombs and set them off in a manner that masked his death?

"If the tags on the outer trees went off first, followed by the bombs in the center, it would explain the burn marks on both sides. If the timing was just right, it could have looked like one big explosion!"

Neji suddenly felt stupid. Not that Tenten wasn't a bright person, especially in this field of work, but everything seemed clearer now. Everyone around him nodded in return, and he felt something bubble in his chest. Something akin to pride. A part of him wanted to say, "That's my girl," but he forced the thought out of his mind. He would tell her secretly. Not in front of everyone else.

But it still did not explain how Genno managed to set it all up. "How did this man set this up? He was being pursued by the Black Ops and they had him cornered right until the bombs went off. How did he have the time to place the paper bombs on all the trees?"

As much as he wanted an answer to his question, a part of him just took relief in being able to talk to her again, even if this was a group discussion. He wasn't as nervous or flustered emotionally at the sound of her voice. Perhaps now he could work on a discussion with just the three of them, Lee included. Then he would be able to manage to talk to her alone.

He was slightly annoyed when Shino spoke for her. "Yes, they were following him, or maybe, _he_ was leading them."

He didn't know much about the weird kid standing next to him, and he honestly forgot he was even there. But he felt more like an idiot when Shino so simply answered his question. And with a cooler tone than he probably could have used. As if he already knew. Stuck up little brat.

Now the question remained: where had the old man gone? How had he managed to escape from the explosions? If he knew what he was doing, he must have had an escape route. He activated his Byakugan and searched the area again, looking for any clues to where their enemy had gone.

It was faint, but he managed to pick up a small tunnel hidden behind a tree. He pointed in the general area. "Go look under that fallen tree."

In a second, Lee was lifting the log out of the way. He had wanted Kiba or Shino to do the work instead, but seeing as Lee owed him multiple favors and this was a natural show of leadership, he decided it really wasn't too much of a shock.

They approached the small opening and Tenten stepped forward to investigate it. "So," Kiba said, "the old man really did have an escape route all along."

Shino added to his comment. "He did a good job hiding it. We never would have been able to find it without Neji's Byakugan."

Scratch what he said about Shino. Except the weird part. At least someone as smart as him knew Neji's kekkei genkai was on a whole different level.

"Yeah, and he even managed to design this so it would collapse over time. In another day or so, we never would have been able to find it. Even with Neji's Byakugan."

There was that sharp pang on his ego. Tenten usually stood up for him, but now it seemed she went out of her way to prove otherwise. It wasn't as if she was saying he was useless, but it still felt the same.

It forced him to reconsider her behavior towards him since they arrived on site. She never held grudges, well, none he was aware of, and her temper _was_ a short fuse. But she never let it drag out like this. Was he saying or doing something wrong without him even knowing it? Again, he knew the only way he was going to find out was by talking to her privately. He just didn't know when he was going to know if either of them was ready to sort things out.

However, when Kiba knelt down beside her to look at the tunnel, his misery was soon replaced with anger. Even though it appeared that he was just investigating the escape route as well, he thought better. After all, Kiba was the one who asked if she had been interested in Neji. He had another thing coming if that meant she was open for him to swoop in and be a bigger part of her life than Neji was.

He had a feeling he knew Tenten well enough by now to know if she had any interest in the younger boy. But she really didn't seem to have any interest in anyone. He never saw her around any other guys except Lee and Gai, and on rare occasions someone else for a mission. And Naruto. But she had already denied any feelings for him. And she never talked extensively about any of the others either.

He did recall that she might have taken an interest in Sasuke before he left the village. It could have been nothing, but she did say his name with slight disgust after their failed mission to retrieve him. Regardless, she never really talked about him enough for him to get worried.

However, he did remember them talking about Kiba one day after training when she mentioned she was in love with the boy's puppy, Akamaru. He had thought nothing of it at the time, but when they would see the two of them in passing, she would always kneel down and pet the animal, and say a few words to his master. It happened more frequently than he realized, and now he was terrified of what that meant.

She denied Naruto. She denied him. Could it all have been because she wanted to be with Kiba?!

His stomach churned at the thought. No. He wouldn't allow that. All the boy did was run wild with that dog. The whole family did. He wouldn't want to give up any of his time to be with her! That aside, he didn't seem to have a sense of dignity about him. Neji had heard enough stories from Hinata to prove that. He was like a wild animal, and he refused to allow Tenten to be with someone of his stature.

It still didn't quell his concern. But asking her directly would only cause more problems. So, he would find out his own way. When the group decided to split up to share their information with the rest of those dealing with this situation, he couldn't help but think fate was smiling upon him once more as he pointed a finger at Kiba.

"You're coming with me."

* * *

I love Kiba, by the way. He is my favorite guy! He's so cute!

Anyway, I apologize if I failed to write someone's character well. Preferably Shino and Kiba. I'm a Team Gai person. I haven't studied personalities of the others.

Okay I have to go now before I'm late for work again. Thank you again for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**::A/N::** Chapter Ten! I cannot believe I have gotten this far!

A great many thanks to all of you for sticking with me! I tried to reply to all of the reviewers I could, but then the website crashed on me, and I didn't want to send a second reply and have you guys think I was crazy. So if you didn't get one, I apologize, and I will make a better commitment this time around! But thank you SO much!

This chapter was written about a week ago, but then I revamped it, let it sit, and revamped it again. And out of all three different scenarios, I liked this one the best. So I hope you do as well. Not too many chapters left in the story, and I am excited to finally complete a multi-chapter story!

Thank you all again for your support and wonderful reviews. Insert big smiley face here.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto. If I did, it would suck even more than Sasuke...which is A LOT! (If I offended some of you..well...oh well.)

* * *

**Apple of Her Eye  
**_Chapter Ten_

"What the hell is your problem?"

They hadn't even been walking for a minute when Kiba stopped in his tracks and crossed his arms over his chest. Akamaru looked up at the boy, somewhat confused. There was slight hostility in his voice, which did nothing to ease Neji's tension.

He calmly addressed the boy. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, there's a problem, alright. You've been glaring at me since we split up and you have to have something you want to say to me if you forced me to tag along with you."

Neji quickly turned on his heel as his glare intensified. "Stay away from her."

He didn't mean to be so straightforward, but he had been _dying_ to give the kid a piece of his mind. He would not hold back and allow him to be a part of Tenten's life. He wasn't going to have it.

Kiba simply stared at him as if he had said "youth". "Wh-what?"

Neji took a step forward to intimidate him if his words were not enough. "Stay away from her."

Kiba broke out into laughter. "Come on, Hyuuga. She likes Naruto, not me. That much should be obvious to anyone."

Now it was Neji's turn to act confused. _Naruto?!_ There was no way in hell that could have been true! Unless…

She _lied_ to him!

Why? Why would she have told him that she had no feelings for Naruto if she really did?! Was that why she had been so cold towards him in front of everyone? Was it really that obvious to everyone except for him? Had he been reading her wrong this whole time?

He didn't think it was possible for his heart to break any further, but now the pieces were tearing themselves apart. It wasn't fair. He had done everything for her, and he would keep doing everything for her. She probably had no idea, but all she had to do was ask him and he would be hers to command. But…Naruto? That kid only thought about ramen and his future as a Hokage. He wouldn't care about her…at least…not like he would.

"She doesn't like Naruto."

He was more reiterating the thought to himself, as he had temporally forgotten Kiba had been standing in front of him.

"Wait…what? How do you know that?"

He was too emotionally unstable to care who he was talking to anymore. "She told me."

Kiba's jaw dropped to the floor. "She _told_ you?! She must have been lying, then. She told _me_ he was all she could think about!"

Neji shook his head. First off: she told _Kiba_ that she was in love with Naruto?! But when _he_ asked, she said no?! Secondly, he was all she could think about?! Was there no end to this heartache?! His pain was now mixing with his anger. He was hurt she didn't come clean with him. He was hurt that she made him think he stood a chance. But most of all, he was hurt because she didn't seem to care.

"Look," Kiba began, "I know you want to protect her and all now, but you've got to let her go her own way. She can be with whoever she wants to be with. I've come to the conclusion that she would be happier with Naruto than me, so why can't you?"

Happier with Naruto?! No. It wasn't possible! He would show her…he _had_ to show her that he could have been a better match for her than Naruto could ever dream of! He would try and be the person she wanted him to be. He would do anything! He just could not live the rest of his life knowing he just sat back and let her go without trying to prove her wrong!

Then something else hit him. Had Kiba thought _he_ stood a chance?! How many of these younger guys had she been talking to?!

He turned his head away, disgusted. "You thought _you_ stood a chance?"

The younger boy scratched the back of his head as if he was now uncomfortable. "Well, it doesn't matter now. It's just kind of hard being around her a lot, you know?"

He wanted to hear nothing more. He wanted to rip his heart out on the spot so he could stop feeling like he was dying. All because of some girl he had fallen for. He had fallen alright; right onto a bed of sharp blades of steel she had constructed herself. He would have to talk to Tsunade when this was all over. He had to leave Team Gai. There was no way in hell he could be in her presence anymore. Good teamwork or not…he couldn't do it. He _wouldn't_ do it!

Akamaru barked to bring attention back to their mission. Kiba kneeled down to pet the white puppy, but Neji had a strong urge to kick him. Thankfully, he had enough sense about him to refrain from injuring the poor animal.

"Right, we have a mission to get back to. We have to inform Shikamaru that Genno could still be alive. Assuming he hasn't figured that out already."

Kiba walked past him, but Neji could not bring himself to move. His body was overrun with so many different emotions that it took all his mind power to focus on breathing. But Kiba was right. And maybe this would help him get back on track. He was no longer in Tenten's presence, or Lee's, which he now hoped it would stay that way. This could very well be the first step he needed to take to forget about her once and for all.

"You coming?"

He turned and began following Kiba and Akamaru, hoping that neither of them would sense the emptiness in the boy that trailed behind them.

-0-

Everything was going well. He hadn't forgotten his internal strife completely, but he was at least able to mask it well enough. He had even managed to locate a paper bomb that was placed in the academy structure. He had followed the fuse of the paper bomb to what he assumed was the detonation device. Before long, Kiba, himself, and soon Naruto (which his presence caused his emotions to go crazy again) had ran to the training hall to stop the students' practicing. One perfect hit on the target and the academy would have blown up. Yes, for the most part, his mind was focused on defending the citizens of his village.

Until they regrouped with everyone.

He forced himself to focus on the mission, but after his earlier conversation with Kiba, he couldn't help but feel an enormous amount of rage toward the girl standing a few feet away from him.

The conversation continued around him, but he could not hear their words. That infuriated him even more. They were on an important mission, one that involved the safety of their own village, and he couldn't even pay attention to what they were saying because of her!

"…And, there's more than one fuse leading to it."

How he managed to zone in on Hinata's statement he hadn't a clue, but it was all he needed to break away from his emotional agony and back on the task at hand. He activated his Byakugan and followed the fuse's path. With slight surprise, he noticed Hinata had been correct. This wasn't just one fuse's triggering device, but several. His surprise quickly escalated when he realized the line branched off everywhere, to the point he couldn't even see it from within the practice hall.

Good. He needed to get out of there anyway.

He rushed outside before anyone even knew what he was doing. He could have had a decent view from the ground, but if the group followed him, well…Tenten would too. He jumped to the top of the academy to avoid that situation as he continued to investigate the rapidly expanding network of fuse lines.

He couldn't believe his eyes. There had to have been thousands of them. How had this man managed to find the time to place all these paper bombs around the village _and_ still appear to work? It was a feat Neji was impressed by, even though it endangered the lives of everyone living in the village.

It was truly terrifying to think about. What if those kids had managed to hit the detonator? His home, the people he cared about, would have been killed. What if there was another device somewhere they had overlooked? What if the old man didn't need one to destroy the village?

There were too many 'what if's' to think about, so he tried not to. They simply had to deactivate the paper bombs and the threat would be eliminated. He just hoped that old man Genno was going to give them the time to gather them.

"So, what do we do now?" Naruto asked once Hinata and Neji jumped off the building to figure out their next move. But the minute he approached the group, he was once again aware of Tenten's presence. His fear vanished instantly. He had to get out…again…before he did something stupid. Which he already was; he was allowing his emotions to get the best of him in an important situation.

Before Shikamaru could even respond, Neji turned his back on the group and explained _his_ plan. "I will keep watch for any suspicious activity or signs of Genno." Then, without an 'okay' from Shikamaru or another comment from anyone else, he walked away.

Even though, he did manage to pick up Kiba's voice as he left.

"Man, that kid is just a wreck today."

-0-

He really did want to keep an eye out for any type of suspicious activity that could have endangered the village. So far: nothing. No signs of strange movements; no sign of Genno. But he knew the reason why he wanted to be left alone. He had not been able to have a conversation with _anyone_ that did not deal with Tenten. Even Kiba, whom he didn't even know well at all!

But now, there was a new problem. Using his kekkei genkai to make sure there was nothing out of the ordinary also meant he was risking a chance of finding Tenten. A part of him couldn't help but seek her out, just to see who she had chosen to locate the paper bombs with. He hoped she would have at least gone with Lee, but he was unable to shake the fact that she would have rather gone with Naruto.

But Shino?! Really? Did she even _know_ the guy?!

Angrily, he deactivated his Byakugan. If she wanted to go around and talk to every guy that was not him, then so be it. He wouldn't care anymore. He knew that eventually she would realize her mistake and want back in his life. But he wouldn't allow it. She pushed him out and now, he would so the same.

He knew it wouldn't be easy. They had trained every day for almost two years. They went on missions together. His extra time was mostly spent with her. Suddenly cutting her from his life was going to be difficult, but he would manage. He had his family, who would be more than willing to help him train. That would at least take up half of his time, which was a pretty good start for him.

But deep down, he didn't know if he wanted to let her go. She meant so much to him. He had been a wreck for weeks because of her. He wanted to talk to her, to see if he had, in fact, been misguided. He wanted her honesty about her feelings for Naruto. Maybe then, they could at least still be friends.

He heard rustling below where he stood on the tree. He glanced down to catch Lee jumping up to stand next to him.

Great.

"How does it look?"

Well, at least it was off to a decent start. "The paper bombs are nearly disposed of. I have found no traces of Genno." Short, sweet, to the point. Maybe now Lee would leave him alone.

"I wonder what the man is up to now."

Or not.

He hadn't been able to find Genno, but the man had been able to avoid ANBU Black Ops as well. What chance did he have of finding the old man? It had to have been obvious to Lee that talking to Neji about it wasn't going to solve anything, so why waste his breath?

It was silent for a few minutes. It wasn't as comfortable as Neji would have thought. It was clear to him that Lee wanted to say something to him.

"Do you have something you'd like to say to me?"

Lee lowered his head. "I am sorry, Neji. I know you must be very angry with me. However, I can guarantee if you were to speak to her, everything would be resolved."

Neji scoffed at his comment. Lee knew nothing. Maybe talking would help, but he didn't think his heart would ever be able to heal. "You know nothing."

"You may say that I know nothing, Neji. But in reality, I still know more about it then you do."

He turned to Lee, urging him to elaborate. "And what makes you say that?"

The green-clad boy exhaled deeply before answering. "I would not be so blind to see how much pain and suffering I was putting her through as you appear to be."

Please. "I'll say it again: You know nothing. And don't you dare tell me I'm the one causing her to suffer."

"Please talk to her, Neji."

"No."

Surprisingly, he did not continue on. "Alright." He then jumped off the branch they were standing on and walked out of sight.

Now Neji was left alone in with his thoughts. How could Lee not see how much _she_ had hurt him? She appeared just fine to him! He was the one who was suffering! If by some odd chance she felt bad enough, and it was the reason Lee thought she was suffering, he had yet to hear it from her directly. It was her own damn fault anyway.

But, what if she sought him out? Would he really have enough strength to tell her he didn't want to talk to her ever again? As much as his mind wanted to rid itself of everything that dealt with her, he didn't think—no, he knew—that his heart wasn't going to be able to.

He suddenly felt tired. The day had done nothing but wear him out. Maybe not so much physically as emotionally. He missed the days before he realized he had feelings for Tenten, but now, it was hard to imagine what that even felt like. Even though it had only been a few weeks, it required every second of each day. They had been extremely long, which made it seem like he had been battling this war for years.

But he knew it wouldn't stop until he talked to her. But what would he say? He couldn't let her know the extent of the damage she had caused him. She already thought Naruto was a better match for her, so he didn't want her to think he was weak on top of that. He knew now that he couldn't tell her he had feelings for her because of Naruto. The only thing he really wanted to talk to her about was why she lied to him. Which she would probably deny again anyway, so what was the point?

He steeled himself as much as he could. He would be fine. He had been through harder times in his life. He would just emerge from this a stronger and more knowledgeable person. He had to. He would prove to her that he was not a weak child who cried over a broken heart.

Now he just had to prove that to himself.

-0-

As serious as this mission was, Neji soon found himself bored.

He was still keeping a careful watch over the village from the tree he hadn't left in hours, but nothing was happening. Everyone had found all the paper bombs and deactivated them. There was not much else he really needed to look for. Genno had not been found, but he had long since given up that search.

He now felt useless. Yes, his initial intention had been to separate himself from the rest of the group, but he slightly regretted his decision. He could have at least been doing something productive than standing around claiming to do something. His need for space had even backfired on him. His emotions were still as strong and annoying as they had been and he had reached no conclusion as to best handle them.

He figured it was safe to say that his watch over the village was no longer required, so he jumped off the branch to the ground. He could at least find Shikamaru and have him give him something to do. Not that there probably was anything at this point, but Neji knew by now that this mission was not as easy as he thought it would be. He had a feeling Shikamaru knew that as well.

He didn't even walk five feet before his heart sank into his stomach, a feeling that he was actually getting used to now.

"Tenten?"

Her expression was difficult to read, but her voice had a sense of urgency. "Can we talk?"

Lee must have said something to her. When would that boy learn to stop messing around in his business? He clenched his fists together in an effort to contain his boiling rage and did his best to speak calmly.

"I don't want to talk to you."

He didn't even have time to make a move before she spoke up again. "I know, but, please. I don't want you to be mad at me."

Mad was putting it lightly. And it only expressed half of what he was feeling. But he would not let her know that. "I'm not mad at you."

"Stop it, Neji. You have been purposely avoiding me all day, and I know it's my fault. And I'm sorry. I really am."

But she had lied to him once, and as sincere as she sounded, he would not fall for her trick a second time. "Don't lie to me."

She looked as if he had slapped her, but she fought through it and continued. "I'm not lying to you."

His fists tightened at his side as his composure began to crack. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am, Tenten."

She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. She turned her head to the side as if she was suddenly afraid of him. Good. She needed to be.

"When this mission is over, I plan on telling Tsunade to move me out of Team Gai."

That got her to look back at him. "Wh-what?! Why?!"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I would work better with people I can trust."

"Trust? What the hell does that mean?"

He forced himself to remain calm. He would not let her get the best of him anymore. "Apparently, I can't trust you or anything you say. That's an essential part of team unity. I can't find it with you anymore."

She appeared to be in a daze of confusion and surprise. He didn't know why his words had been a shock. She had been the one to lie to him. He might have been over exaggerating the situation, but it felt good to know he was causing her some slight agony.

"Neji…I—"

"Enough. You obviously don't want me to be a part of your life, so I don't understand why you are so upset."

She locked eyes with him, and for a second, he could have sworn she was on the verge of tears. "Why…why would you think that?"

The last of his dignity crumbled, but he was able to at least keep his voice low enough to not attract nearby attention. "Why? You lied to me, one. You defied my authority on our last mission. You think you know so much about what I am going through, when you understand nothing! I considered you my friend, someone I could trust. Now you've gone and blown that to hell!"

She took a step back as his voice continued to rise in amplitude. He didn't care. He wanted to keep yelling because it felt good to finally tell her how he felt. Even if it wasn't the full story.

He stopped only when he saw a tear fall from her eyes. He felt bad, but at the same time, he didn't. She brought this on herself.

He spoke back up in a much calmer tone. "Will you at least tell me why you lied to me? That's all I want to know."

She did not meet his gaze and remained silent. He watched as another tear escaped and she rubbed her arm with her hand. When she finally did find her voice, he didn't recognize it as hers. She was quiet, and he could have sworn she was straining it.

"I never lied to you."

It wasn't good enough. He was going to get to the bottom of this before he left. He was not going to continue fighting his emotions anymore. "That's not what I've heard."

She looked up at him, her hurt expression mixing with confusion. "What?"

He took a step forward, but when she backed away from him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him angrily. "I want to know the truth, damn it! I'm done playing these games with you!"

He crossed a line, and he couldn't go back now. She was still for a few moments, but then she began to cry.

He released her immediately. A feeling of guilt spread throughout his body like a wildfire. What was he doing? Yes, he was beyond angry with her. Yes, he wanted her to feel the pain and misery he had felt for weeks now. But…he was not ready for this. He had only seen her cry once, back when Lee was undergoing surgery. She was a strong person, and it made him sick to know that he had pushed her to her limit.

He didn't know what to say to her. He knew he should apologize, but…he really wasn't sorry. Perhaps he was for the way he went about asking her. He opened his mouth to apologize but her voice cut him off.

"I know I haven't been honest with you lately, but…but I was scared. I didn't know what to make of anything that was happening. I thought that with time I could figure things out, but then I felt like you were pushing me away. You kept yelling at me. You never came to talk to me after that last mission. That time in the forest, I was so happy being with you, and I thought you felt the same. That's what I thought, but then you got mad at me, and I thought I was wrong. And when Lee said you may have thought of us as more than friends, you yelled at him. It hurt…it hurt so much, Neji. I told Kiba I wanted someone who cared only because I wanted to see how you would have reacted. But when you didn't say anything…I figured you never cared about me at all."

She left him speechless. She really _did_ care about him! She had been fighting just as much as he had been! He now understood what Lee meant. How could he have been so stupid to ignore the person he cared for the most suffering in front of him…_because_ of him!

"Tenten…I—"

She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears. "I just…I don't want to lose you as a friend."

He was once again rendered speechless. He suddenly wanted to rewind time to before she ran into him moments ago and instead feeling the need to yell at her, he wanted her to know how much he wanted to be with her. The need to throw his arms around her intensified as he took a step towards her. But there was still something he needed to confirm before he completely forgave her.

"But I'm not the one you truly care about, am I?"

She appeared weak, as if this conversation was draining every ounce of energy she had. He desperately wanted to hold her in this state, to prove to her that _he_ was the one she needed, not Naruto. _He_ would always protect her. _He_ would always care about her.

She shook her head before answering, causing his heart to sink further into his stomach. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He didn't want to come right out and ask her, but what other option did he have? It would officially settle the dispute once and for all. Hopefully…anyway.

"Kiba has informed me that Naruto is all you can think about."

She quickly made eye contact with him, a slight tint of red showing on her face. He pleaded it was not embarrassment, and that she would just laugh it off or roll her eyes and tell him he was the biggest fool she had ever met in her life.

He got quite the opposite.

"This…_this_ is what you thought I was lying about?" she screamed, fists clenched tightly at her side. "I never told Kiba that! I barely know the guy! I told you, Naruto is my friend, and you _still_ don't believe me?"

He wanted to retract his statement. He didn't want this to become another screaming match. Even though he felt slightly more at ease with her response. "I thought your distance was because of some other interest. He was the first person to catch your eye that I was aware of, and hearing Kiba say it as well—"

"You'd believe _him_ over _me_?!" He suddenly felt small. She had every right to be angry at him. She continued on. "This is why you wanted to break away from our team?! Because of something someone else said about me?!"

It was now his turn to take a step back. He never saw her this angry. Even when dealing with Lee. "I was afraid you thought Naruto was a better person that I was."

Her hand came hard and fast. The sting on his face was painful, but it still did not cancel out the regret forming in his heart. Here he had basically forced her to confess in tears while he fully believed that she had lied to him. What kind of friend was he?

She finally broke the silence, her voice lower but still as angry as before. "You say you want to break away from our team because you can't trust me. But you don't _want_ to trust me! I have never gone back on my word or said anything behind your back I couldn't say to your face, but you obviously think I'm that kind of person."

Oh, he was going to have a nice conversation with Kiba when this was over. "I'm sorry."

She crossed her arms over her chest before turning her back on him. "But you're not."

She began walking away when he ran in front of her to stop her. "Please. Will you at least listen to me?"

Without a word, she pushed past him. "Sorry, Neji. Naruto is in trouble. And since you know how much I love him, you ought to know that his life takes priority over your excuses."

And as she walked away, he felt for the second time in his life the feeling of losing someone he loved.

-0-

That night was one of the worst nights in his life.

They had defeated Genno. There were no more threats of explosions. There had not been a single causality.

Except his heart.

As he turned over on his bed, he could not shake the moment they were all temporarily trapped in the old man's genjutsu. The ground beneath him had given out due to a missed paper bomb. For a split second, he thought of his family about to be crushed under rock and dirt. But his fear escalated when he saw Tenten fall to her knees.

He remembered grabbing her around the shoulders to pull her up and steady her, and then it was over. Someone had snapped them out of the illusion. He had felt like an idiot then, one hand on each of her shoulders. She glared at him and angrily pushed him off.

_"I don't need you to play my protector. I can take care of myself."_

He knew she was right. But a part of him wanted to. He wanted to play that special role in her life that no one else could. And when she denied him—angrily at that—his slowly mending heart shattered once again. All he really heard from her was: _I don't need you._

It killed him. If only he had believed her from the start, like a good friend would have done, he wouldn't be feeling like he had lost everything. He sat up and angrily threw the covers off of him. He needed to do something, to focus on any sort of pain except what his heart was failing to endure.

He left his room and slammed the door shut behind him, not caring who was asleep or how loud he had been. Maybe he could anger one of the elders and force him to activate his curse seal. As much as the idea frightened him, he deserved it. Maybe it would help get his brain in order and become the person he should have been for Tenten the first time.

He rounded the corner and collided into someone. He cursed under his breath. What time was it, anyway? Shouldn't everyone be asleep? He did not want to endure questions about his strange behavior. He just wanted to be punished for it.

"Ne-Neji-nii-san?"

He swore again. Of all people to run in to, it just had to be Hinata. "My apologies, Hinata-sama. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, her eyes never meeting his. "N-no. I'm fine."

He bowed respectably, then continued on. "Then I shall excuse myself."

"Wa-wait!"

He took two steps before he halted. Great. He could already hear the questions she was going to ask him.

"Are you feeling well?"

No, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "I am fine, Hinata-sama. Please, do not worry about me."

"You haven't been acting like your usual self. I-is something wrong?"

Yes, but again…he kept that to himself. "Nothing is wrong."

He hoped he had been short enough with her for her to get the idea he wasn't going to talk about anything, but she pressed on. "H-has Tenten-san talked to you yet?"

He remembered that the two of them had gone their separate ways earlier that day. When they met again, he noticed a slight change in her behavior. He thought Hinata had something to do with it, but that was confined to the past. There was no going back now. He had ruined that.

"She did."

He heard her clap her hands together behind him. "Th-that's wonderful!"

But it wasn't. "Forgive me, Hinata-sama, but I need to go."

She must have sensed something was amiss about his sudden need for space, because she stopped him once again. "Y-you seem sad, Neji. Why?"

He never thought Hinata was the type of person to dive her way into someone else's business, but maybe that was how she had gotten Tenten to talk, if she did. He took a deep breath and decided that maybe a middle-man like Hinata would help save his relationship with Tenten. That, and it beat talking to Lee about it.

"She wants nothing more to do with me." She gasped in shock as he elaborated. "I didn't believe her when she told me she didn't have feelings for someone else. She doesn't think I can trust her anymore."

It was silent for a while, but Neji desperately wanted Hinata to prove him wrong. Maybe Tenten had said something to her that he didn't know about. Something that could very well prove to him that he still had a chance to save what was left of their friendship.

"N-Naruto?"

He hadn't expected her to _know_ who the "someone else" was. "I'm assuming she told you this."

He heard her agree. "She said she didn't like Naruto as much as she liked you." It was faint, but he felt a small bubble of hope erupt in his heart as Hinata continued on. "You are always spending your time together and going on missions. It's to be expected."

That faint burst of hope quickly disappeared. She was right, but that still didn't mean Tenten could have found some quality about Naruto he lacked. Tenten still could have been attracted to ramen-eating morons.

"But," Hinata added, "Even though she didn't come out and say it, I know she really likes you. And I know you feel the same way about her."

"Then why is your teammate saying she told him she was in love with Naruto?"

Hinata's hand flew to her mouth. "K-Kiba-kun?"

Maybe Hinata didn't know either. "He told me today that he was all she could think about. He also went on to say that _he_ was sacrificing his own happiness to let her be with him, meaning Kiba thought he stood a chance."

The look Hinata gave him was indescribable. A mix between confused, shocked, embarrassed, and confused again. But then she took him by complete surprise and smiled at him, her cheeks burning in a similar fashion when she thought about Naruto.

"I think you jumped to conclusions, nii-san."

He waited for her to say something else, but when she didn't, he spoke up instead. "How did I do that?"

She grabbed his hand, and that bubble of hope appeared once again in the bottom of his heart.

"Neji, Kiba thought you were talking about me."

-0-

It was cold. It was raining. It was late. But he didn't care.

He ran as fast as he could, nearly slipping a few times, across the sleeping village. After his conversation with Hinata, he now understood why Kiba had been under the impression he had been talking about her. It brought him back to the fact he failed to trust Tenten, but at least now he had solid proof. And he couldn't have felt more like an idiot than he did at that moment.

He finally reached Tenten's apartment on the other side of town. He stopped before knocking on the door. It was late, and if he knew anything about her, it was she _hated_ being forced out of sleep. He actually had learned the hard way, and he wondered if he still bore the small scars of that mistake.

But this was different. He couldn't wait anymore. He had been postponing long enough, and it was time she knew the truth. If anything, he wanted her to know that he would do anything to be a better friend. He would not act so possessive as she probably thought he had. He wouldn't care who she talked to, just so long as she gave him another chance.

His heart was hammering in his chest as he raised his hand. He braced himself for the screaming and possible attack he would receive as a result, but he would suffer through it. He would suffer thought anything at this point in time. He was strong enough for that.

But he was not strong enough to live without her.

He pounded on the door and waited as he suppressed a shiver that ran down his spine. The rain seemed to be falling harder now, and he didn't know if that was a sign or not. Regardless, here he was, and no amount of cold or rain was going to stop him.

He waited a few more minutes before he knocked again. He usually had to knock for quite a while before she actually answered him. But this time, the second she realized how late it really was, she probably would ignore him. But he continued, his fists pounding on the door slightly harder each time.

He was finally awarded when he heard the dead bolt turn slowly. His heart began to beat with more ferocity than before. He took deep breaths to calm himself, but to no avail. And when the door finally opened, he simply stood like an idiot.

She apparently had not been expecting him. Her previous sleep-deprived state was replaced with surprise and hint of anger. "I'm not training this early in the morning."

He didn't respond as he seemed to forget how to even form words on his tongue. But when she began to close the door, he reached out and stopped her.

"Please. You have to listen to me."

She didn't fight him, and she seemed less tense than she did seconds before. She crossed her arms and stepped to the side. "I'm not going to stand here and freeze. Let me get you a towel before you catch a cold."

This was going much better than he had expected. But he did not move as she disappeared into the shadows. She technically did not invite him inside, and had this been a normal situation, he would have done so anyway. But this was different. He had crossed too many boundaries on assumptions. That ended tonight.

When she reappeared, she frowned at him. "What are you doing, Neji? Get in here and shut the door!"

He did what she asked and once he was inside, she chucked the towel she retrieved at him. "Don't want you soaking the place," he heard her say. He smiled at her comment, knowing she could not see it, and attempted to dry himself off the best he could.

"Now," she began as she leaned on the wall across from him. "What couldn't wait until the next time I ran into you?"

He felt his heart stop in panic. She did not say _until the morning_ like he had been expecting. Was she planning on avoiding him, then?

He didn't care. If he couldn't speak his mind before he left, he deserved to never see her again. He took a deep breath, hoping to keep his nervousness out of his voice. "I found out that you were telling the truth after all. Kiba apparently thought the conversation was about Hinata and not you."

She simply stared at him, her expression unreadable. "But you still don't believe me."

He shook his head and let his heart take over. "From the first day I met you, you have always thought highly of something. Tsunade, some new weapon, harnessing your strength to become better, even Lee, Gai, and Naruto. I didn't let it bother me at first, but after all the time we were spending together, I began to wonder what it was like to be the person you admired the most. And for a short time, I really thought I had obtained that position, and I had no intentions of giving that up. But then I realized what I was doing. You have every right to be angry with me, and I do not have the right to claim that title again, but please do not walk out of my life. Regardless of what you think of me, or what anyone else thinks, I have become dependent on you. I don't want to imagine my life without you. I _can't_ imagine my life without you."

She gaped at him, her body standing up straight instead of leaning against the wall. She did not say or do anything, so while he had her full attention, he pressed on.

"I've been fighting for weeks with these unfamiliar emotions. I had no idea how to handle them. I thought addressing my state of affairs with you would create more problems, so I didn't say anything. But I could not contain them forever. I had every intention of telling you that day in the forest, but I did not know what to say. Then I began to misread your intentions, and everything began to fall apart."

She shifted her focus to the floor as she exhaled deeply. "You're an idiot."

He couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "So, will you be honest with me one more time?"

Her shoulders dropped in frustration. "I'm _not_ in love with Naruto."

He bravely closed the distance between them, her eyes growing wide in surprise. He took each of her hands in his. "Will you be honest with me now?"

She appeared as if she was trying to read him through his eyes, but was failing miserably. She opened her mouth to respond, but she didn't say a word. He made the assumption she was distracted by his close proximity, which he hoped worked in his benefit.

"What kind of person do you want to be with?"

For a second, he thought he had pushed her a little too far too early. She seemed extremely uncomfortable. He was about to bring up some other topic when she suddenly chuckled, a faint blush forming on her cheeks.

"Would you believe me this time?"

His heart raced with anticipation. He would finally get the answer he had been waiting to hear for almost a month. "I promise. I wouldn't even care if you told me you wanted to be with Shino."

She laughed as she leaned into him. "But you would."

Well of course he would, but…she did not need to know that at the moment. "As long as he would make you happy."

"You would threaten him."

He smirked. "I would."

"It's a good thing I didn't fall for Shino, then. He can live another day."

She was avoiding his question, and it was nerve-wracking. She seemed to be in good spirits, which helped put his mind at ease. But he wouldn't know for sure until she said his name.

"Who did you fall for, then?"

She snuggled closer into him, and he slowly moved his arms around her. He just had to patiently wait for her answer.

"If you can't see that by now, then you really are an idiot, Neji."

But it wasn't going to work. He needed to hear her tell him she fell for him. He would not assume anymore. He held her at shoulder length and waited for her to look into his eyes before he ended the silence.

"I want to hear you say it."

And without breaking eye contact, she gave him her answer. "I fell for you, Neji Hyuuga."

* * *

I fought with this ending a lot, but seeing as I am almost done with this, I figured the drama needed to come to an end and confessions needed to be made known. I still thought it was too early, but in the next filler saga, they seem more at ease with each other, so...you know where I'm going.

I just hope I didn't butcher Hinata, because I don't like her, but she played an important part here. And what girl doesn't like gossip?

Thanks again for being awesome!


End file.
